SOUTH PORTLAND – When state Sen. Larry Bliss, D-South Portland, steps down from his position next month to take a job out of state, Maine Democrats are hoping their party can retain the seat, while Republicans are hoping to add the seat to the party’s list of positions taken away from Democratic control from the November 2010 election.

The seat that Bliss is vacating, which represents South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and part of Scarborough, is seen as an important one for both Democrats and Republicans. Currently Republicans are the majority power in the Senate, with 20 of the 35 seats.

Maine Republicans enjoyed great success in the November elections as they won the governor’s office and took a majority in both houses of the Legislature. Even Bliss, a popular longtime politician, struggled to hold his seat, narrowly edging Republican challenger Joe Palmieri.

Both Democratic and Republican groups will, in the coming weeks, begin looking for candidates to replace Bliss in the Senate. Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. is expected to announce a date for a special election on April 15, Bliss’ last day in office before he leaves for his new job in California. Town clerks in the three communities are working to align the special election with their respective school budget votes in mid-May.

Winning the special election would give a candidate a head start on the November 2012 election. Matt Beck, chairman of the South Portland Democratic Committee, said he remains concerned about the Democratic Party maintaining the seat.

“We are hopeful we will have a better luck in November 2012 than we did last November,” he said. “Holding onto that seat is a big part of that effort.”

Jon Courtney, a Republican and the Senate majority leader, agrees that the seat holds a lot of political value, especially following the special election.

“It’s very important,” said Courtney, of Alfred. “We are in the middle of budget discussions so it would be helpful to have another Republican voice in there.”

So far several Democratic candidates have emerged. Jamie Wagner, chairman of the Cape Elizabeth Democratic Committee, said he was interested in the vacant seat, as is Cape Elizabeth state Rep. Cynthia Dill. On Monday, Tom Blake, a city councilor in South Portland since 2007, announced his candidacy for the Senate position.

“I would like to continue the great work of Sen. Bliss in Augusta, and feel that with my extensive record of community involvement that I can make a positive impact while representing the best interests of South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough residents,” said Blake.

AnnaLee Rosenblatt, chairwoman of the Scarborough Republican Town Committee said, to her knowledge, no Republicans have decided to enter the race, although she said Palmieri is considering running for the seat again.

“I think he is a really obvious candidate,” she said, “because his campaign organization is not that old and he has the name recognition and the know how to do it, which is huge.”

Rosenblatt said Palmieri, a South Portland resident, did well in Scarborough, where he beat Bliss.

“I think he reflects the value of Scarborough and Scarborough would view it as a positive (if he were to win),” she said.

Rosenblatt said she expects both parties to begin caucusing next month when the seat is officially deemed vacant.

Whoever the Democrats chose to run for the seat, he or she will have big shoes to fill, according Democratic leaders.

“Sen. Bliss will be missed,” said Sen. Barry Hobbins, Democratic minority leader. “He’s been the heart and soul of this party. He’s been an adviser and a smart, thoughtful, and skillful legislator.”

“It will be a tremendous loss,” Wagner said. “He served four terms in the Maine Legislature and was very well regarded by his constituents.”

Bliss, who has served in the Senate since 2008, resigned from his position last week during an early morning meeting with his fellow legislators. Bliss announced he had taken a job as the director of academic advising and career exploration at California State University at Easy Bay, a school of 14,000 just outside of San Francisco.

Bliss moved to Maine from California more than 20 years ago. He was most recently employed as director of career services and life development at the University of Southern Maine, but lost his job last year. He had worked at USM since 1989.

Bliss served in the Maine House of Representatives for eight years, until 2008, when he was elected for his first term in the Senate after beating Republican challenger Thomas Dunne of Cape Elizabeth. In that election, Bliss received 62 percent of the vote.

He won his re-election campaign this November by squeaking out a victory over Palmieri by a 9,172 to 9,097 vote.

Bliss said his decision to leave the Senate is not a reflection of his love for the state of Maine, but rather of the state’s limited offering of employment opportunities.

“I loved my time here and my partner and I both wish we could stay here,” Bliss said. “Maine is a very special place. The Maine Legislature is a special place, but it is impossible to stay here only with Legislative pay.”

Bliss said Maine is a tough market for high education, which caused him to look out of state for jobs.

“It turned out that the best, most exciting offer was in a part of the country that I grew up in,” Bliss said.

Bliss said throughout his 11-year tenure as a legislator in Maine his priorities of encouraging economic development, environmental protection and equality never changed.

“During my time as chair of the Utilities and Energy Committee, I think I was successful in helping to move the state in a greener and more energy efficient direction,” Bliss said last week. “I was instrumental in sponsoring and passage of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, creating the Efficiency Maine program as part of the Public Utilities Commission, and increasing Maine’s renewable portfolio.”

In terms of ensuring equality for all Maine residents, Bliss said he was involved as a sponsor or co-sponsor of pieces of legislation that expanded equal rights for gay and lesbian people, as well as members of Maine’s American Indian tribes.

Beck said Bliss’ work in equal rights will be one of his lasting contributions to the state.

“What I will always remember Larry for is his shepherding through the Legislature the marriage equality bill,” he said.

Beck said despite Bliss’ emotional ties to the issue, as a legislator representing a broad view of opinions, he was evenhanded throughout the process.

Bliss’ name is associated with the document, Beck noted, as Bliss was at the rostrum serving as acting Senate president when the bill passed with his signature on the document.

“I personally consider this to be the great civil rights issue of our time,” Beck said. “Although the people’s veto unfortunately overturned it, I think history will be on our side. It was a proud moment for Larry and a proud moment for us as Democrats in South Portland.”

Beck had mixed emotions when he heard of Bliss’ resignation.

“I was very happy for Larry and his family that he had this fantastic opportunity, but I am sorry to see him leaving Maine and that we are losing him as a senator,” Beck said.

Wagner said one of Bliss’ strengths was his ability to connect with his constituents.

“He’s a wonderful kind hearted individual who has responded with open eyes and ears to his constituents,” said Wagner, a local attorney and owner of the Local Buzz, a coffeehouse and wine bar in Cape Elizabeth. “He is always available to people by phone or email. One of the things he liked about the citizen legislative is the availability of public officials. He really personified that very concept.”

State Sen. Larry Bliss of South Portland