Senator Kevin Raye
Senator Kevin L. Raye is currently serving his third term in the Maine Senate. He was re-elected on November 4, 2008. He represents Senate District 29, which includes all of Washington County; Eastbrook, Franklin, Great Pond, Osborn, Waltham and unorganized townships in eastern Hancock County; and Carroll, Drew, Lakeville, Prentiss and Whitney in Penobscot County.
Senator Raye was selected by his colleagues to be the Republican Leader in the Senate. He is a member of the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission. He formerly served on the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and was the lead Republican in the 123rd legislature on the Health and Human Services Committee. He has focused much of his work in the Senate on fighting for equity for rural education, fiscally responsible state budgeting, and efforts to strengthen the economy of Down East Maine.
He was born Feb. 7, 1961, in Eastport, one of eight sons of Harry and Frances (Morrison) Raye. He graduated from Shead Memorial High School and earned a degree in political science from Bates College in Lewiston.
A small businessman, he and his wife Karen co-own and operate Raye's Mustard Mill, in Eastport, as well as their own consulting business. Previously, from 1983 to 2001, he worked for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Most of that time, he served as Snowe's top aide in Maine, and then for 6 1/2 years, was her Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate. He led her staff in Maine and Washington , including her staff on the Senate committees on which she served: the Armed Services, Budget, Commerce, Finance, Foreign Relations and Small Business Committees.
As the Republican nominee for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat in 2002, Raye won 48% of the vote, and holds the record for receiving the highest percentage of any 2nd District GOP candidate since 1992.
Senator Raye is married to Bangor native Karen Howard Raye, who was elected in 2004 to a four-year term as Maine's Republican National Committeewoman. He serves on the Boards of Eastern Maine Medical Center, Sunrise County Economic Council, Maine Rural Partners, the Maine Space Grant Consortium, and Peavey Memorial Library in Eastport. He also a trustee and council chair of North Perry United Methodist Church.