WASHINGTON — On Super Tuesday, Democrats held control of an open seat in a swing Maine House district. Democrat Kevin O’Connell won his special election tonight in HD-128 with nearly 58% of the vote in a district Trump won by nearly 8 points. This win is on the heels of a victory in Maine in 2018, when Democrats took back the State Senate and solidified control of the State House.
“This is an incredible show of strength for Democrats heading into 2020,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “We’ve continued to win seats in traditionally red districts, showing that we’ve got energy on our side. Mainers want to keep the Democratic legislature that passed legislation to expand reproductive rights, increase renewable energy, and boost public education funding. Congratulations to Kevin O’Connell on his victory tonight and on a great campaign.”
Kevin O’Connell, an established community leader and advocate, has served Brewer for 30 years as a city councilor, school board member, and two-term mayor. O’Connell also spent 24 years in the Maine National Guard and is a longtime member of IBEW Local #1837.
The DLCC has flipped 10 chambers and more than 430 state legislative seats since Donald Trump’s election. The DLCC is on complete offense in 2020 and plans to spend $50 million in their “Flip Everything” campaign to target more than a dozen Republican-held chambers across the country.
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