Husband vs. wife in Maine election: Who won?
Democrat Jennifer Johnson of Waterville, Maine, won the Ward 1 warden position over Republican David Johnson on Tuesday by a 127-76 margin. The husband and wife ran against each other to show the importance of public service.
Jennifer Johnson (D) and David Johnson (R) each ran for the elected post of warden - which oversees voting at polling stations – in Waterville, Maine.
(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty/File)
Waterville, Maine
A Maine woman was victorious over her husband in an election they say was more about being involved in their community than about partisan politics.
The Morning Sentinel reports that Democrat Jennifer Johnson of Waterville won the Ward 1 warden position over Republican David Johnson on Tuesday by a 127-76 margin.
They were nominated by their respective party city committee caucuses in August.
Although their race drew national attention, they say they ran against each other to show the importance of public service and to show that Democrats and Republicans can get along.
"The empty lines on ballots make me sad," Jennifer told the Portland Press Herald in August. "If nothing else, we really don't care who wins, but if we can get young people involved in politics, especially on the local level, that would be tremendous."
David volunteered on the city's Safety Council, which was recently disbanded after 40-plus years. They both have worked behind the scenes to help friends in local political campaigns. But neither aspires to higher political office. According to the Portland Press Herald:
The couple quibble over fiscal issues; he is a fiscal conservative, she is more lenient in that respect. A stay-at-home mother who volunteers at George J. Mitchell School, where two of their children are enrolled, Jennifer, 36, says more money should be spent on education.
David, 32, a lead solution architect for Oxford Networks who works 50 or 60 hours a week, supports education but says there are creative ways to keep costs down, such as through volunteerism.
The parents of three have been married about 10 years.
In Maine, the warden's job is to oversee voting at polling places on Election Day. That includes distributing ballots and counting them at the end of the day.
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