Welcome to the 123rd Maine Senate
All members of the 123rd Maine Senate have been elected to serve a two-year term. Of the 35 members, there are 18 Democrats and 17 Republicans. Twelve are women (7 Democrats; 5 Republicans) and 23 are men (11 Democrats; 12 Republicans). There are 8 new members; 4 have recently served in the House of Representatives, 2 are former House members, 1 is a former Senate member, and 2 have no previous legislative experience. Twenty-seven members are incumbents. Twenty-two members have prior legislative service in the House of Representatives. The combined legislative experience of the 123rd Senate totals 298 years. The average age for a Senator this session is 56.
Senator Joseph C. Brannigan of Cumberland has the distinction of being the senior member of the Senate, while Senator Philip Bartlett II of Cumberland is the junior member this session. Senator Peter Mills of Somerset has the longest overall Senate service, having served 5 terms beginning in the 117th (1994); he begins his sixth term in the Senate. Senator John L. Martin of Aroostook, beginning his 21st term, is the Senator with the longest overall legislative service. Senator Martin is also the Senator who has served in the earliest Legislature, having been elected to the House in the 102nd Legislature (1965).
Twenty-two Senators are Maine natives, 13 of them were born in a community they currently represent. The remaining Senators were born in Alabama (1), Massachusetts (2), Maryland (1), New Jersey (1), New York (5), South Carolina (1), Virginia (1), and Vermont (1).
By way of occupation, the Senate is composed as follows: 6 members are or have been attorneys; 3 members are or have been in education; 3 members are or have been in the health and social services professions; 10 are or have been business owners, consultants or workers; 1 member is a librarian; 1 member is a Holstein breeder; 4 members are retired; 5 members consider legislative service their full-time occupation.
Members who will not be able to run for election to the Senate in 2008 due to term limits are: Sen. Lynn Bromley of Cumberland, Sen. Beth Edmonds of Cumberland, Sen. John Martin of Aroostook, Sen. Peggy Rotundo of Androscoggin, Sen. Christine Savage of Knox, and Sen. Karl Turner of Cumberland.