Voters are sending Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick) back to the Maine Senate to represent District 23, which encompasses several Midcoast towns in Cumberland County.
According to unofficial results early Wednesday morning, Daughtry received more than 18,000 votes, beating her opponent, Michael Lawler (R), who garnered 8,000 votes. This term will mark Daughtry’s third as a local representative for Brunswick, Chebeague Island, Freeport, Harpswell, Pownal and part of Yarmouth.
“Serving in the Legislature continues to be an honor of a lifetime. I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to continue working for our community and building on what we achieved together,” Daughtry said in a press release. “The workers, families, small businesses and older Mainers in Senate District 23 are looking for answers on a whole range of issues from affordable housing and education funding to PFAS contamination and coastal resilience. I’m prepared to hit the ground running and deliver on solutions that lead us to the future we deserve.”
Daughtry, a lifelong Brunswick resident who, along with her my fiancé, owns Moderation Brewing on Maine Street in Brunswick, cited lack of affordable and safe housing and rising cost of living as one of her top issues to tackle. She also noted that preserving working waterfronts and maintaining ecosystems is key, especially with environmental challenges such as increasingly-intense storm systems and PFAS-contamination at Brunswick Landing.
Daughtry has also previously noted that she has a bipartisan track record, and is willing to work across to aisle to get results.
Lawler has worked as the appointed director of the Brunswick Sewer District from 2002-2005 and the eastern director of the Pine Tree State Rifle and Pistol Association from 2015 to date.