Candidate field complete for races representing Windham and Raymond in Augusta

By Ed Pierce

The field of candidates has been finalized for elected state legislative positions representing Windham and Raymond in Augusta.

For State Senate District 26, two candidates will be on the ballot in the State Primary on June 9 vying for the Republican nomination.

Kenneth J. Cianchette, a Windham business owner who was the Republican candidate for this position two years ago is being challenged in the primary by first-time candidate Peter G. Violette, who also owns a business in Windham.

The winner of the primary race will face incumbent Democrat Timothy Nangle of Windham in the general election in November. Nangle, a former Windham Town Councilor, was first elected to the Maine Senate in 2022 and he defeated Cianchette in the 2024 election to win a second term as state senator.

State Senate District 26 serves Windham, Raymond, Casco, Frye Island and part of Westbrook in the Maine Legislature.

State Senators are members of the state's upper chamber, as part of the state's bicameral legislature. State senators are responsible for voting on bills related to public policy matters, levels for state spending, raises or decreases in taxes, and whether to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

Neither Maine House of Representative districts for Windham will have primary challenges in June, but voters will instead decide in November between candidates. 

In House District 106 representing part of Windham, incumbent Republican Barbara Bagshaw is seeking a third term and will face Democrat Bradley M. Youngs in the general election. Bagshaw, a former art educator, was first elected to the position in 2022 and won re-election in 2024. Youngs, a father and school volunteer, has lived in Windham since 2013.

Republican incumbent Mark C. Cooper of Windham will seek a second term in the Maine House in November representing part of Windham in House District 107. Cooper, a building contractor and farmer, was elected as a state representative in 2024 and will be opposed by Democrat Joseph A. Campbell, a long-term Substitute at Gray/New Gloucester High School and a graduate student at the University of Maine. 

Former Raymond Select Board Chair Rolf Olsen, a Republican and a licensed insurance agent, is running for re-election in Maine House District 86. Olsen was first elected to the position in 2024 and will face Democrat Abigail Geer of Raymond in the general election in November. Geer, a private school administrator, was a candidate for the Raymond Select Board in 2021.

Maine House District 86 serves Raymond, Casco, Frye Island and part of Poland.

State Representatives are members of the state's lower chamber, as part of the state's bicameral legislature. State representatives are responsible for voting on bills related to public policy matters, levels for state spending, raises or decreases in taxes, and whether to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes. <