Elizabeth Bosworth wins western Maine Senate seat by 50 votes

Elizabeth Bosworth won a western Maine Senate seat on Tuesday by a margin of 50 votes.

The former teacher and Democrat defeated Republican John Andrews in a district covering parts of Oxford, Cumberland, and Androscoggin counties. Andrews won the race in 2024 by 29 points. The area voted for President Donald Trump by about 9 points in the 2024 presidential election.

Bosworth’s victory was part of a larger shift in the region. Democrats also flipped three state House seats in and around Oxford County. These four races ranked among the most expensive legislative contests in the state. Republican groups spent less than $4,000 in the Senate race, while Democratic aligned groups accounted for nearly all outside spending. Bosworth’s publicly funded campaign outspent Andrews’ privately funded effort by more than 4 to 1.

The wins expanded Democratic majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. They also provided new allies for Maine Conservation Voters, a group that ran its first field program in these districts. The organization plans to push for limits on large data centers during the upcoming legislative session. Its political arm spent about $42,000 in the four flipped districts, part of a total of more than $280,000 spent on legislative races statewide.

Organizers from Maine Conservation Voters knocked on more than 4,000 doors in swing districts ranging from Durham to Fryeburg. Rani Sheaffer, the group’s deputy director, stated in a memo that voters will now be aware that data center regulations are on the ballot. The group’s ads targeted candidates who opposed bills to temporarily ban new data centers and end a corporate tax break for the industry.

In the state House races, Democrat Chris Lewey beat former Representative Caleb Ness by 140 votes in Fryeburg and four neighboring towns. Lewey runs wildlife tours. Democrat Chris Easton unseated first-term Representative Peter Wood in a district centered in Norway. Easton is a retired teacher, carpenter, and farmer. Democrat Tim Becker, a tax attorney, won the Bridgton-area District 83 seat previously held by Marygrace Cimino. Easton and Becker each won by fewer than 300 votes in districts that were already close.

Peter Wood posted a concession statement on Wednesday. He wrote that he felt the team worked hard but the result was not meant to be. Mike Newsom, a western Maine organizer for the Maine People’s Alliance, helped recruit Easton and canvassed with him. Newsom said he built trust with voters quickly and attributed the wins to grassroots work rather than just the national wave. Bosworth said she is already thinking about holding her seat in 2028, noting that she did not win by much and needs to show up for the entire community.

Bosworth was in Augusta on Friday to vote for caucus leaders. She said the win is slowly sinking in. Andrews has not been reached for comment and has the option to request a state-funded recount. The margin is close enough to warrant such a request.