Sanford lawmaker accused of domestic violence along with opponent in re-election bid

A Sanford lawmaker hoping to retain his seat in the State House after being accused of assaulting his wife ended up in a draw with his Democratic opponent.

Maine State Representative Lucas Lanigan York County Jail via AP

Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, was charged with aggravated assault last month and continued his campaign against Democrat Patricia Kidder to represent parts of Shapleigh, Newfield, Sanford and Springvale in House District 141.

Kidder appeared to have won the seat until the city of Sanford reported a “human error” in the election results and released an updated tally. The miscount had given Kidder a significant lead.

Although Kidder still beat Lanigan in Sanford’s new count (1,217 to 987 votes), they were both tied with 2,476 in the districtwide vote due to existing vote counts in Shapleigh and Newfield being combined with votes from uniformed service and overseas voters.

Spokesperson Emily Cook said the municipalities’ official results will be released to the Department of State on Thursday. If those results confirm the race is a tie, he said, the candidate can request a recount.

If this recount shows a true tie, Maine law Specifies that the governor must order a special election.

Cook said there have been very few recent elections that have resulted in a tie.

2021 Portland City Council race the country’s first The ranked selection ends in a draw. City rules require that the winner be determined “by lot”; This is an old method of random selection, like drawing pieces of paper. After the drawing is selected Brandon Mazer as Winnercandidate Roberto Rodriguez requested a recount and later declared him the true victor.

And the first election results in 2008 showed this: tie between two Yarmouth candidates for the Democratic House seat. The recount results were contested in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which determined the winner after analyzing three disputed ballots.

ARREST OF LANIGAN

Lanigan, 45, was first elected in 2022. Many Democratic leaders asked for his resignation and withdrawing from the election following the alleged attack.

The man is accused of assaulting his wife after he found her with another woman at the Springvale Secure Storage unit last month, according to court documents.

The arrest warrant states that the man grabbed his wife’s neck and choked her for about 20 seconds before she was able to leave and call her friends for help.

sanford police I’m looking for him He spent the weekend until he was handed over to the York County Jail on October 28. He was charged with aggravated domestic violence assault, a Class B felony that could lead to up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

His wife, Catalina Lanigan, begged the judge to drop the charge first appearance in York County Superior Court last week. He said he never tried to strangle her. But prosecutors said the victims regularly returned and were still pursuing charges against him.

HOW TO GET HELP

if you or if someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the Statewide Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-866-834-4357.

FOR HELP During a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at: 988lifeline.org.

TO LEARN For more information about domestic violence prevention and response in Maine, visit: Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence website.

FOR OTHER For support or referrals, call the NAMI Maine Helpline at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].

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