The Democrats maintained their one seat majority. In the House, the Republicans picked up 6 seats, to make it 76D:73R:2O.
At this point, there are three races for the Maine House of Representatives where recounts have yet to officially determine the winner (well, technically none of the results are official until the Governor certifies them as such, but you know what I mean). The remaining 148 House races break 75D:71R:1GI(Green Independent):1 Independent, so the Democrats only need to win one of those races to win an outright majority. They led in one of those races in the initial count, but fell behind in the recount, and although there must have been more disputed ballots then the margin for the recount to not have been conclusive a poster (one who posts messages online - I'm not sure if anyone uses that word in that way besides me but I developed it independently at least) at a conservative Maine web site says that the Republican nominee has definately won that race. It could be that there weren't enough disputed ballots which could possibly have been votes for the Democratic nominee to make a difference. A Democratic incumbent who trailed in the initial count moved ahead in undisputed ballots in the recount, but the same poster said that the result of that recount was inconclusive. The third inconclusive recount had the Democratic challenger gain a couple votes on the Republican incumbent and was only down by 4, with more disputed ballots (I'm not sure how many), but the Republican poster expected the Republican incumbent to be revealed the winner in that race.
If the final result is what it appeared it would be before the recounts began, which is what you, jimretex, had it as, then the Republicans have actually gained 7 seats (or 8 if you consider that one Republican state Representative died late this past summer - the Republican nominee, I believe his wife, won his seat in the general election). After the 2002 elections, the count was 80D:67R:1GI:3I, but in the course of the Legislature (in the two-year sense - "session" means something different in Maine), one Republican and one Independent Representative became a Democrat, making the count 82D:66R:IGI:2I.
Sincerely,
Kevin Lamoreau
