Gerrish, Collins cruise to easy wins in Lebanon voting

Lebanon pollworkers, including Lucinda Laviolette, left, and her husband, Henry, watch as voters cast their ballots on Tuesday at the Lebanon Elementary School. (Lebanon Voice photo)

LEBANON - Republicans representing Lebanon in the Maine Legislature retained their seats in impression fashion on Tuesday while Donald Trump ran roughshod in traditional Democratic strongholds nationwide as well as Lebanon to culminate his improbable presidential victory that finally become clear about 3 a.m. today.
Ron Collins, R-Wells, easily defeated Democrat Jonathan Kilbourn to retake Maine Senate District 34, 13,127-10,513, a 56%-44% margin. In Lebanon, Collins collected 2,041 compared to just 978 for Kilbourn.
Senate District 34 comprises Acton, Kennebunk, Lebanon, North Berwick, Wells, and part of Berwick.
GOP District 20 State Rep. Karen Gerrish's victory was even more lopsided, defeating Democrat Daniel Lauzon by more than a 2-to-1 margin, 3,362-1,561. House District 20 includes Lebanon, Acton and part of Shapleigh. In Lebanon, Gerrish grabbed all she would need, 2,181 votes to Lauzon's 897.
Meanwhile, Trump may have lost District 1 in the southern part of the state, but not for Lebanon's lack of trying, with the billionaire president elect doubling Hillary Clinton's vote totals, 1,945 to 939.
Trump ended up getting one electoral vote from Maine's District 2, where Republican Bruce Policquin won re-election in a rematch against Emily Cain by a wide margin.
Republican Mark Holbrook didn't fare as well in his bid to oust incumbent U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree from District 1, however, although he did garner more votes than her in Lebanon, 1,905-1,141.
Lastly, Republican Carol Lovejoy defeated Democrat Allen R. Sicard for York County Register of Probate, 50,860-39,938. In Lebanon, it was Lovejoy over Sicard, 2,105-856.