BRUNSWICK — Long-time state legislator Stan Gerzofsky won another term in the Maine Senate Tuesday in a three-way race to represent District 24.
Gerzofsky, a Democrat, received 48 percent of the vote, beating back challenges from Republican Jennifer Johnson and Green Independent Fred Horch.
According to unofficial results released Tuesday night, the incumbent senator had 9,746 votes to the 6,918 for Johnson. Horch came in a distant third, with 3,506 votes.
District 24 includes the communities of Brunswick, Harpswell, Freeport, Pownal and North Yarmouth. Gerzofsky won every town but North Yarmouth, where he lost to Johnson by more than 100 votes.
Gerzofsky, 70, has been in the Legislature for the last 14 years, first as a representative from Brunswick, and then as a state senator. This will be his fourth term in the Senate.
Reached Wednesday morning, Gerzofsky said the campaign was one of the toughest he’s been involved in.
“I’ve never worked so hard in a race, and it’s because of the spoiler,” Gerzofsky said, referring to Horch.
While commending Johnson for running a solid, “clean” race, Gerzofsky criticised Horch, saying the Green candidate diverted the campaign away from the issues.
“Greens don’t bring solutions to the table, they bring fantasy conversations,” Gerzofsky said.
In speaking to voters it was clear that welfare administration and partisan gridlock were key concerns in this election, Gerzofsky continued. He pledged to work with legislators from both parties to move important business forward in the next two years.
“People are very concerned that we figure out a way to get their business done,” Gerzofsky said. “That’s what we really have to learn how to do. We have to do that better.”
“I always think its important to have buy-in from both sides of the aisle and I think we have to start actually putting that into practice,” he added.
Peter L. McGuire can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 100 or pmcguire@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter @mcguiremidcoast.
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