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Maine, State Senate, District 17

Maine State Senate District 17
Current incumbentRussell Black Republican Party

Maine's seventeenth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Russell Black.

Maine state senators represent an average of 37,953 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 36,426 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Maine State Senate serve two-year terms with term limits. Maine legislators assume office after the first Wednesday in December after their election.

Qualifications

Section 6 of Part 2 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "The Senators shall be 25 years of age at the commencement of the term, for which they are elected, and in all other respects their qualifications shall be the same as those of the Representatives."

Section 4 of Part 1 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "Qualifications; residency requirement. No person shall be a member of the House of Representatives, unless the person shall, at the commencement of the period for which the person is elected, have been 5 years a citizen of the United States, have arrived at the age of 21 years, have been a resident in this State one year; and for the 3 months next preceding the time of this person's election shall have been, and, during the period for which elected, shall continue to be a resident in the district which that person represents."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$10,131/year$38/day for lodging (or mileage and tolls up to $38/day in lieu of housing). $32/day for meals. Set by statute.

Term limits

The Maine legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Maine Term Limits Act in 1993. That initiative said that Maine senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1993 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 1996.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. The Governor must call for an election and allow all political committees representing the vacant seat to set all deadlines. The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.

2016 pivot county

206 Pivot Counties Logo.png

This district is one of 710 state legislative districts that intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Maine State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for June 9, 2020. The filing deadline is March 16, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Maine State Senate District 17

Russell Black (R) defeated Jan Collins (D) in the general election for Maine State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Russell Black (R)
54.5
9,715

Jan Collins (D)
45.5
8,105

Total votes: 17,820
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maine State Senate District 17

Jan Collins advanced from the Democratic primary for Maine State Senate District 17 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Jan Collins (D)
100
2,002

Total votes: 2,002
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maine State Senate District 17

Russell Black defeated Gary McGrane in the Republican primary for Maine State Senate District 17 on June 12, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Russell Black (R)
74.6
3,033

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Gary McGrane (R)
25.4
1,032

Total votes: 4,065


2016

Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 14, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 15, 2016.

Incumbent Thomas Saviello defeated Joanne Dunlap in the Maine State Senate District 17 general election.

Maine State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Thomas Saviello Incumbent 72.25% 14,975
Democratic Joanne Dunlap 27.75% 5,752
Total Votes 20,727
Source: Maine Secretary of State
Joanne Dunlap ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 17 Democratic primary.

Maine State Senate, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Joanne Dunlap (unopposed)
Incumbent Thomas Saviello ran unopposed in the Maine State Senate District 17 Republican primary.

Maine State Senate, District 17 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Thomas Saviello Incumbent (unopposed)


2014

Elections for the Maine State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for party candidates wishing to run in this election was March 17, 2014. The deadline for write-in candidates to run in the primary election was April 28, 2014, and the deadline for non-party candidates to run in the general election was June 2, 2014. Joanne Dunlap was unopposed in the Democratic primary. District 18 incumbent Thomas Saviello was unopposed in the Republican primary. Saviello defeated Dunlap in the general election.

Maine State Senate District 17, General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Saviello Incumbent 69.5% 12,529
Democratic Joanne Dunlap 27% 4,869
None Blank Votes 3.5% 637
Total Votes 18,035

2012

Elections for the office of Maine State Senate consisted of a primary election on June 12, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 15, 2012. Incumbent Garrett Mason (R) defeated Colleen Quint (D) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.

Maine State Senate, District 17, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngGarrett Mason Incumbent 50.1% 9,818
Democratic Colleen Quint 49.9% 9,790
Total Votes 19,608

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Maine State Senate District 17 raised a total of $435,020. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $21,751 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Maine State Senate District 17

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $46,862 2 $23,431
2014 $20,764 2 $10,382
2012 $104,092 2 $52,046
2010 $44,217 3 $14,739
2008 $32,012 2 $16,006
2006 $45,401 2 $22,701
2004 $73,095 3 $24,365
2002 $39,144 2 $19,572
2000 $29,433 2 $14,717
Total $435,020 20 $21,751