PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A majority of voters in the Presque Isle area backed the four state bond issues supporting higher education and infrastructure investments, while re-electing state Rep. Trey Stewart and state Sen. Mike Carpenter and backing U.S. Sen. Angus King, losing gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody, and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin.
All four of the statewide bond referendums passed on Election Day and also received majority support in Presque Isle. The initiatives will see the state borrowing and investing about $200 million in water treatment and road infrastructure and the University of Maine system and community college system campuses.
Question 1, the universal home care initiative, failed to pass statewide with more than 60 percent of voters statewide and in Presque Isle opposing the measure.
In Aroostook County, state Sen. Mike Carpenter (D-Houlton) was re-elected to the Senate District 2 seat representing southern and central Aroostook County. In unofficial results, he beat challenger Karen Reynolds, R-Fort Fairfield, with 52 percent of the vote to her 48 percent.
Fifty eight percent of voters re-elected Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, to House District 147 over Bob Saucier, who previously held the seat.
In House District 146, representing a south-to-north swath of central Aroostook County from Blaine to Woodland, incumbent Dustin White, R-Washburn, was re-elected with 65 percent of the vote over challenger Sarah LeClair of Woodland.
In House District 148, representing Fort Fairfield and surrounding communities, incumbent David McCrea, D-Fort Fairfield, was re-elected with 69 percent of the vote, beating challenger Katherine Schupbach, a Republican from Fort Fairfield.
In Presque Isle, a majority of voters backed Independent Angus King for U.S. Senator with 56 percent of the vote, and Republican Shawn Moody for governor with 50.7 percent of the vote. Statewide, Democrat Janet Mills ultimately won the governor’s race with 51.1 percent of the vote to Moody’s 43 percent.
A plurality of Presque Isle voters also backed Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin for U.S. Congress, with 38 percent of the first choice vote in the four-way race being determined by ranked-choice voting. Democrat Jared Golden received 32 percent of those votes.
The Congressional race has yet to be determined as the results go to a tabulation under ranked-choice voting, with the winner slated to be determined the week of Nov. 12.
