Politics
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A former Democratic state lawmaker and Bangor city councilor is running in a special election for an open seat in the Legislature that Rep. Joe Perry gave up to become Maine’s treasurer.
Sean Faircloth, who served five terms in the Maine House and Senate between 1992 and 2008 before serving on the Bangor City Council from 2014 to 2017, including one year as mayor, said he will run as a Democrat to succeed Perry and represent House District 24, which covers parts of Bangor, Brewer, Orono and Veazie.
Gov. Janet Mills and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Friday they signed a proclamation that sets the special election for Feb. 25, 2025. No other candidates have formally announced bids, but the parties and unenrolled candidates have until Jan. 10, 2025, to send nominations to Bellows’ office.
Perry, a Democrat and Bangor convenience store owner, first won election to the House in 1996 and served seven nonconsecutive terms in the chamber along with three terms in the Senate. Democrats picked him earlier this month to succeed Maine State Treasurer Henry Beck, who was not seeking a fourth term that lasts two years.
Faircloth, a 64-year-old father of three children, briefly ran for Maine governor in 2018 and for the U.S. House in 2002. He is a mental health and child advocate who founded the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor and was the executive director of the city’s Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center until last year.
While he is passionate about several issues, Faircloth said in an interview he does not run for office by only thinking of certain things to focus on as a legislator but rather is “an open door.”
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“I try to talk to as many people, read as much as I can and then see if there’s something substantive you can do about it,” Faircloth said.
Still, he mentioned the climate, children’s issues, women’s rights, economic development and affordable housing as pressing matters for Bangor and communities throughout Maine.
“I certainly feel strongly about making sure we have more affordable housing,” Faircloth added. “Whether you look from San Francisco to here, that’s a pervasive issue.”
Bob Cote, chair of the Penobscot County Republican Committee, said the party has not yet identified a candidate but will call a meeting of registered Republicans in the towns the district covers to select a nominee.
While candidate petitions are due by Jan. 10, write-in candidates have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 14 to declare. Individuals seeking non-party petition forms or write-in declaration forms available may call the secretary of state’s Elections Division at 207-624-7650.
The winner of the special election for the House seat will serve a two-year term.
