Democrats and Republicans have picked their nominees to run in a special election to replace a state representative who resigned last month for health reasons.
Former state Rep. Steve Moriarty was chosen this past Sunday in a joint caucus of the Cumberland and Gray Democratic committees. Moriarty, a former town councilor who served one term in the Legislature from 2012 to 2014, will represent the Democrats in the June 11 special election for House District 45 to replace former Rep. Dale Denno, D-Cumberland.
Republicans in Cumberland and Gray have picked KC Hughes of Cumberland, who owns a Portland screenprinting business, to run as their candidate.
Denno resigned in late March because he has lung cancer. He had been re-elected in November to represent Cumberland and part of Gray. The candidate elected in Denno’s place will serve out the rest of his term, which would have ended in December 2020.
Denno won his seat in 2016 by defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Michael Timmons, who had beaten the Democrat by 16 votes in 2014.
All party caucus nominations are due to Secretary of State Matt Dunlap’s office by 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. Non-party candidates who submit at least 50 signatures from voters in the district by that deadline will qualify for the ballot. Write-in candidates must declare their candidacy by the same time on Thursday, April 25.