Lewiston mayoral race heads to December runoff after split vote

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and former City Council President Rick LaChapelle will face each other in a December runoff after neither secured a majority in Tuesday's five-way election. Unofficial results show LaChapelle holding 45.7% of the vote, while Sheline captured 35.3%.

The remaining candidates finished well behind the top two. Political newcomer Brian Beaulieu placed third with 10.6% of the vote. Businessman Jay Rodrigue received 4.5%, and perennial candidate Charles Soule garnered 3.9%. Maine law mandates a runoff between the top two finishers when no single candidate exceeds the 50% threshold.

Sheline, a Democrat seeking a third two-year term in the nonpartisan office, cited code enforcement, a new homeless shelter, police recruitment, and business growth as evidence of progress. He was the only candidate to answer Sun Journal questions on crime, taxes, and the economy. Sheline previously won a runoff against former state Rep. Jon Connor with just over 51% of the vote three years ago.

LaChapelle proposed freezing property taxes at current levels and criticized Sheline for lacking leadership on youth gun violence. The race centered on public safety, property taxes, and economic growth following a period of heightened concern over youth violence. The Sun Journal reported that the police department is currently short more than a dozen positions.

Federal involvement marked the final days of the campaign after prosecutors reviewed early-voting footage from City Hall. This review followed accusations by a conservative news outlet that interpreters coached Somali-American voters. The Justice Department sent election monitors to Lewiston polls on Tuesday to observe the process.

LaChapelle lost his council seat in a 2023 election that was upended by a mass shooting that killed 18 people in the city. Sheline now faces a second runoff in his tenure, a process that previously defined his first victory in the role.