AUGUSTA — Democrat Raegan LaRochelle was elected Tuesday in a special election to represent Augusta in state House of Representatives District 86, according to unofficial results, flipping the party in control of the seat.

Raegan LaRochelle

LaRochelle defeated James Orr, who ran as a Republican, for a seat vacated when former Rep. Justin Fecteau, R-Augusta, resigned July 4.

LaRochelle’s 1,372 votes topped Orr’s 1,071, according to unofficial results from the city released Tuesday night. The special election was the only House race this fall in Maine.

LaRochelle, a current at-large city councilor serving her first term on the Augusta council, is self-employed as an economic development consultant and owner of a property maintenance business. She has a longtime partner and two 13-year-old boys.

“I want to thank everyone for their support during the campaign and getting out to vote today,” LaRochelle said late Tuesday night. “I’m really looking forward to serving this district and the city and state in this new capacity.”

She is on the Kennebec Valley YMCA board of directors and has served as a commissioner and chairperson of the Augusta Housing Authority. She said she was running because several people asked her to run and she felt she could do a good job and was committed to making Augusta a better place to live.

LaRochelle said she sees the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the most significant issues facing the state.

“We salute Raegan on a well-deserved win,” Drew Gattine, Maine Democratic Party chairperson, said in a news release Tuesday. “She knocked on hundreds of doors and will be a powerful voice for Augusta residents. The results in District 86 speak for themselves. Voters want compassionate, thoughtful leaders who prioritize keeping Mainers safe and healthy, and who want to invest in our state’s economy.”

Orr, 51, retired after 23 years in the U.S. Army, volunteers as president of Veteran Mentors of Maine, and is married with two school-aged children who are home-schooled and two adult children.

House District 86 includes most of the section of Augusta west of the Kennebec River.