Maine State Senate District 34

Maine State Senate District 34 is represented by Joseph Rafferty (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Maine state senators represented an average of 38,924 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 37,953 residents.

About the chamber[edit]

Members of the Maine State Senate serve two-year terms with term limits.^[1] Maine legislators assume office on the first Wednesday of December following the general election.^[2][3]

Qualifications[edit]

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Section 6 of Part 2 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "The Senators shall be 25 years of age at the commencement of the term, for which they are elected, and in all other respects their qualifications shall be the same as those of the Representatives."

Section 4 of Part 1 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "Qualifications; residency requirement. No person shall be a member of the House of Representatives, unless the person shall, at the commencement of the period for which the person is elected, have been 5 years a citizen of the United States, have arrived at the age of 21 years, have been a resident in this State one year; and for the 3 months next preceding the time of this person's election shall have been, and, during the period for which elected, shall continue to be a resident in the district which that person represents."^[4]

Salaries[edit]

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$15,417 for the first regular session. $10,923 for the second regular session.	$38/day for lodging (or mileage up to $38/day in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $32/day for meals. Set by statute.

Term limits[edit]

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Maine legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Maine Term Limits Act in 1993. That initiative said that Maine senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1993 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 1996.^[1]

Vacancies[edit]

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Maine State Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat.^[5][6] The governor must call for an election and allow all political committees representing the vacant seat to set all deadlines.^[7][5][6] The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.^[8]

See sources: Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 382 and Maine Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 381

District map[edit]

The map below shows this district's current boundaries, not those enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Redistricting[edit]

2020-2021[edit]

See also: Redistricting in Maine after the 2020 census

On September 29, 2021, Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed legislation enacting redrawn state legislative district boundaries. The Maine Apportionment Commission approved final maps and submitted them to the legislature on September 27, 2021. The Maine Senate unanimously approved both maps by a vote of 31-0. The Maine House of Representatives approved new district boundaries for the state Senate by a vote of 129-0 and new state House district boundaries by a vote of 119-10.^[9] These maps take effect for Maine’s 2022 legislative elections.

The Maine Wire reported, "The legislature made no changes to the maps the Apportionment Commission submitted, but some legislators did express dissatisfaction with the way districts had been drawn."^[10] Some lawmakers objected to changes made to the composition of their districts, such as Ben Collings (D). After the plans were approved, Collings said, "“I did my best to work with the [apportionment] committee and use the process to make those changes.” “Unfortunately that did not come together for the district I represent.”^[9]

State Senate map[edit]

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

State House of Representatives map[edit]

Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

How does redistricting in Maine work? In Maine, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. An advisory commission is also involved in the process. A two-thirds majority is required to approve new district maps, which are subject to veto by the governor.^[11]

The composition of the 15-member advisory redistricting commission is as follows:^[11]

1. The majority and minority leaders of the Maine State Senate each select two commissioners.
2. The majority and minority leaders of the Maine House of Representatives each appoint three commissioners.
3. The chairs of the state's two major political parties (i.e., the Republican and Democratic parties) each appoint one member.
4. The aforementioned 12 commissioners appoint two more members from the public, "with each party's representatives coordinating to choose one commissioner."
5. The two public commissioners appoint one additional member.

This commission may make recommendations to the state legislature regarding redistricting, but the legislature is not bound to abide by the commission's recommendations. If the state legislature is unable to pass a redistricting plan, the responsibility falls to the Maine Supreme Court.^[11]

State statutes require that congressional districts be compact and contiguous, In addition, state laws require that congressional districts "cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."^[11]

The Maine Constitution mandates that state legislative districts be "compact and contiguous, and that they cross political subdivision lines as few times as possible."^[11]

Elections[edit]

2022[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2022

The primary will occur on June 14, 2022. The general election will occur on November 8, 2022. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

2020[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2020

2018[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2018

2016[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2016.^[12]

Incumbent Ronald Collins defeated Jonathan Kilbourn in the Maine State Senate District 34 general election.^[13]

Maine State Senate, District 34 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ronald Collins Incumbent	55.43%	13,164
	Democratic	Jonathan Kilbourn	44.57%	10,584
Total Votes				23,748
Source: Maine Secretary of State

Jonathan Kilbourn ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 34 Democratic primary.^[14][15]

Incumbent Ronald Collins ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 34 Republican primary.^[14][15]

2014[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for party candidates wishing to run in this election was March 17, 2014. The deadline for write-in candidates to run in the primary election was April 28, 2014, and the deadline for non-party candidates to run in the general election was June 2, 2014. Gary Connor was unopposed in the Democratic primary. District 2 incumbent Ronald Collins was unopposed in the Republican primary. Collins defeated Connor and unenrolled candidate Richard Burns in the general election.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Maine State Senate District 34, General Election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ronald Collins Incumbent	46.4%	8,523
	Democratic	Gary Connor	35.9%	6,600
	Maine Families	Richard Burns	12.5%	2,305
	None	Blank Votes	5.2%	954
Total Votes				18,382

2012[edit]

See also: Maine State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Maine State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 12, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 15, 2012. Incumbent Roger Sherman (R) defeated Daniel Levesque (D) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.^[20][21]

Maine State Senate, District 34, General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Roger Sherman Incumbent	62%	9,947
	Democratic	Daniel Levesque	38%	6,106
Total Votes				16,053

Campaign contributions[edit]

From 2000 to 2018, candidates for Maine State Senate District 34 raised a total of $534,106. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $24,278 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Maine State Senate District 34
Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2018	$87,722	2	$43,861
2016	$78,200	2	$39,100
2014	$68,896	3	$22,965
2012	$39,601	2	$19,801
2010	$44,011	2	$22,006
2008	$53,953	2	$26,977
2006	$66,465	2	$33,233
2004	$51,889	2	$25,945
2002	$4,072	2	$2,036
2000	$39,297	3	$13,099
Total	$534,106	22	$24,278

See also[edit]

• Maine State Legislature
• Maine State Senate
• Maine House of Representatives

External links[edit]

• The Maine State Legislature

Footnotes[edit]

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