Drew Gattine of Westbrook won the Democratic nomination for state House District 126 on Tuesday, a district that encompasses parts of Scarborough, Westbrook and Saco.

Gattine defeated Scarborough Town Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina in the primary 334-224, according to unofficial results. Scarborough voted 160-139, Westbrook 70-26 and Saco 104-59, in Gattine’s favor.

Gattine will face Republican Leslie Smith of Saco in the Nov. 8 election.

“It always feels good to go out and talk to voters and know they responded well to the conversations you had,” Gattine said Wednesday. “I worked very hard, and my opponent worked very hard, too.”

In conversations he had with voters throughout the campaign, Gattine said, the topics of affordable housing and school budgets routinely came up.

“Affordable housing is a big issue across this district, which spans three towns,” he said. “A lot of people I talked to are young families who care a lot about the quality of schools.”

Gattine, 59, served in the state House of Representatives for eight years before being termed out in 2020. He also served on the Westbrook City Council from 2004-2010 and is currently chairperson of the Maine Democratic Party. He plans to carry the experience he’s gained throughout his political career with him.

“I have served in Augusta before, in situations where Democrats controlled the executive branch and legislative branch, and I’ve served in Augusta where those dynamics are a bit more mixed,” he said. “There are people who I deal with in my political life who I strongly disagree with, but I never, ever close the door on anybody.”

When asked about his tumultuous history with former Gov. Paul LePage, who is running again this fall for the office, Gattine said he will “work very hard to make sure Gov. Mills is reelected because I think her vision for Maine is the right vision.”

Gattine praised Caterina for her public service and her positive campaign.

“I’m super appreciative of her,” he said. “I think she is a very high-quality public servant for the people of Scarborough. I’m grateful we were able to run a race that was focused on being positive and just getting our message out to the voters.”

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