AUGUSTA, Maine — Recounts will be conducted in four of the 35 Maine Senate races, according the secretary of state’s office.
The first recount will take place Friday in a state office building on Commerce Drive in Augusta. That recount will decide the winner of the Senate District 11 race, where unofficial results show Senate Republican Leader Mike Thibodeau of Winterport edging his Democratic opponent, Jonathan Fulford, by less than half a percentage point — 9,066 to 8,961. District 11 represents all of Waldo County.
Despite the pending recount, Thibodeau and his GOP colleagues are confident of his electoral victory. Last week, Senate Republicans unanimously nominated Thibodeau for Senate president. Because the GOP won a 20-15 majority in the Senate — pending recounts — that means Thibodeau is all but guaranteed to be holding the gavel when the full Senate convenes to elect the president in December.
Subsequent recounts for three other Senate districts will take place next week. Those include:
— District 21, Lewiston: Unofficial results show Democratic Rep. Nate Libby defeated Republican Patti Gagne by 71 votes, 6,647 to 6,576.
— District 25, part of Cumberland County including Yarmouth and nearby towns north of Portland: Unofficial results show Democrat Catherine Breen defeated Republican Cathleen Manchester by 32 votes, 10,930 to 10,898.
— District 13, Lincoln County, excluding Dresden: Unofficial results show incumbent Democratic Sen. Chris Johnson bested Republican Les Fossel by 346 votes, 9,492 to 9,146.
Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Thursday evening that Michael Carpenter, the Democratic candidate in Senate District 2, which includes parts of Aroostook and Penobscot counties, had originally requested a recount but later withdrew that request.
Unofficial results show that Republican Michael Willette — father of outgoing House Republican Whip Alex Willette — defeated Carpenter 7,625 to 7,394.
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.
