John,
If you're like us, you're holding your breath watching the national election results slowly roll in. But as every vote is counted across the country, we wanted to take a moment to share some local, good news about Maine’s state legislative races:
State Legislature
Maine people overwhelmingly elected a state legislature that will put the protection of our environment and climate future front and center. Overall, 82% of the candidates MCV Action Fund endorsed won their races! These leaders in the state Senate and House will advance the bold conservation and climate policies we need right now.
See the full list here >>
In the state Senate in Lincoln County, Chloe Maxmin, a climate champion who has an MCV score of 100%, defeated incumbent Dana Dow whose MCV score plummeted to 50% in 2020.
Other competitive races in which MCV Action Fund endorsed include newcomer Stacy Brenner, an organic farmer and nurse midwife in Scarborough, who will be heading to the state Senate. Anne Carney, a strong conservationist who served in the House, won her race to fill the Senate District 29 seat in Cumberland County. And Louis Luchini, a strong environmentalist who chairs the committee with jurisdiction over voting access, won his re-election bid to the state Senate in Hancock County.
In the Maine House, Nicole Grohoski, a rising environmental star from Ellsworth, won her re-election. So did Jessica Fay of Raymond, who has been a leader in the fight against toxic chemicals. Bill Pluecker, a farmer and educator from Warren and leader on energy efficiency, will also head back to Augusta. And, in a nail-biter, Paige Zeigler of Montville, who led the effort to ban Styrofoam in Maine, retained his House seat.
With a pro-environment majority in the Maine Legislature, Governor Mills will have the partnership she needs to keep the state’s fight against climate change on track.
Portland City Council
2020 was the first year MCV Action Fund endorsed in a municipal election, choosing to support candidates in Portland’s three city council races. We saw victories in all three races: April Fournier won the At-Large seat after an RCV run-off with 59% of the vote; Mark Dion won the District-5 seat, after an RCV run-off, with 57% of the vote; and Andrew Zarro won the District-4 seat outright with 52% of the vote.
In addition to celebrating the election of three new climate and conservation champions to Portland's city council, April Fournier is the first indigenous woman elected to the City Council in Portland's history and Andrew Zarro is the first openly gay man elected to the City Council in Portland's history.
Moving Forward
We know that for democracy to work, it must include all of us, and it must guarantee fair elections. We’ll keep reporting the results to you as they come in and we’ll keep working to make sure that every vote is counted — no matter how long it takes.
Thank you for being in this fight with us to advance the issues and values we all share: clean water, clean air, accessible public lands, and a just and equitable democracy. We appreciate your commitment and dedication to building a brighter future for Maine!
Onward,
Maureen Drouin
Executive Director
P.S. If you are able, please RSVP for our Post-Election Roundtable on Friday from 12:00-1:00 PM with the League of Women Voters of Maine. We’ll discuss the results of the 2020 General Election (where available) — what we saw, what we learned, and what changes we see on the horizon. Register here.
