Gorham residents James Boyle, Suzanne Phillips and Timothy Thorsen are running in a special election Jan. 11, 2022, to fill the vacancy left in House District 27 when Rep. Kyle Bailey, D-Gorham, resigned Oct. 15.
District 27 includes part of Gorham and part of Scarborough.
Boyle, a former state senator who served from 2012-2014, is the Democratic nominee, according to Mary Holland-Buckelew, chairperson of the Gorham Democratic Committee.
Thorsen, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and political newcomer, was selected at a joint caucus of the Gorham and Scarborough Republican committees, according to Jim Means, chairperson of the Gorham Committee.
Suzanne Phillips, a Gorham town councilor and former School Committee member, filed nomination papers as an unenrolled candidate.
The winning candidate will serve the remaining year of Bailey’s two-year term. Bailey won the seat in November of 2020, defeating Roger Densmore of Gorham. He said in a press release that he stepped down for a career opportunity.
The filing deadline for candidates was Nov. 29. Write-in candidates must declare their candidacy by 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 6.
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