Sanford lawmaker accused of domestic violence linked to opponent in re-election bid

A Sanford lawmaker hoping to keep his seat in the state House after being accused of assaulting his wife has ties to his Democratic opponent.

Rep. Lucas Lanigan, R-Sanford, was charged with aggravated assault last month and continued his campaign against Democrat Patricia Kidder to represent parts of Shapleigh, Newfield, Sanford and Springvale in House District 141.

Kidder appeared to have won the seat until the city of Sanford reported a “human error” with the election results and released an updated count. The miscount had given Kidder a significant lead.

While Kidder still defeated Lanigan in Sanford’s new count — 1,217 to 987 votes — the two are now tied in the district-wide vote with 2,476 each due to existing vote counts in Shapleigh and Newfield combined with uniformed service ballots and foreign voters.

Official results from municipalities were announced to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, said spokesperson Emily Cook. If these results confirm the race is tied, a candidate can request a recount, she said.

If the recount shows that there is a true tie, Maine law indicates that the governor must order a special election.

Cook said there have been few recent elections that ended in a tie.

A 2021 Portland City Council race is believed to be the the first in the country ranked choice election to result in a tie. City rules require the winner to be determined “by drawing lots” – an old method of random selection, like drawing pieces of paper. Chosen after the drawing Brandon Mazer as the winnercandidate Roberto Rodriguez requested a recount, which happened later declared him the true victor.

And in 2008 the first election results showed that a draw between two Yarmouth candidates for a seat in the Democratic House. The recount results were challenged in the Maine Supreme Court, which decided the winner after analyzing three disputed ballots.

LANIGAN’S ARREST

Lanigan, 45, was first elected in 2022. Several Democratic leaders called for his resignation and withdrawal from the elections after the alleged attack.

He is accused of attacking his wife last month after she found him with another woman in a Springvale Safe Storage unit, court documents show.

According to the arrest warrant, he grabbed his wife’s neck and choked her for about 20 seconds before she could leave and call her friends for help.

The Sanford Police Department was there looking for him throughout the weekend until he turned himself in at the York County Jail on October 28. He was charged with aggravated domestic violence assault, a class B misdemeanor that carried up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

His wife, Catalina Lanigan, argued before a judge to drop the charges his first appearance last week in York County Superior Court. She said he never tried to strangle her. But prosecutors say victims regularly recant their accusations and are still pursuing charges against him.

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HOW CAN YOU GET HELP

IF YOU or if someone you know has experienced domestic violence, please call the Statewide Domestic Abuse Helpline at 1-866-834-4357.

FOR HELP call or text during a mental health crisis 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

TO LEARN more about domestic violence prevention and response in Maine, visit Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence website.

FOR OTHER support or referrals, call the NAMI Maine Helpline at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].

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