Senate Democrats stick with same all-female leadership team

Maine Senate Democrats are sticking with the same leadership team heading into the next session, when they will have an even larger majority. 

Sen. Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick will continue as president, Sen. Teresa Pierce of Falmouth as majority leader and Sen. Jill Duson of Portland as assistant majority leader. They became the first all-female leadership team in the upper chamber when first assuming those roles in 2024.

The caucus met behind closed doors on Friday to make its decisions, though formal votes are held when the Legislature convenes to get sworn in on Dec. 2. Democrats in the House of Representatives made their leadership picks on Thursday. 

“I’m so grateful to my colleagues for trusting me to lead this incredible team again,” Daughtry said in a press statement following the meeting. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m as stubborn as ever about making sure Maine is a place where people can build a good life.”

Heading into the new session, Democrats now hold a 24-seat supermajority, the first since 1985, according to the release. A record number of Democratic women will also be serving in the Senate, the statement noted, making up two-thirds of the caucus .

A lifelong Brunswick resident and small business owner, Daughtry has served in the Maine Legislature since 2012, when she was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives at 25 years old. 

After serving in the lower chamber until 2020, Daughtry was elected to the Senate, becoming assistant majority leader two years later and president two years after that. At 37, she became the youngest woman to ever hold the role. Among Daughtry’s achievements are helping to craft Maine’s paid family and medical leave law.

As Senate president, Daughtry presides over floor proceedings, appoints all committee members and committee chairs in conjunction with the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives and oversees the flow of legislation, among other responsibilities.

As majority leader, Pierce represents the party on the chamber floor and helps direct legislative priorities and debate. She is wrapping her second term in the Senate. From 2014 to 2020, Pierce served in the House, including as chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which sets the state budget. 

Working alongside the majority leader, Duson also helps shape legislative priorities.  First elected to the senate in 2022, Duson was the first Black woman to serve in the upper chamber. During her first term, she served on the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. Prior to her time in the Legislature, she spent more than 19 years on the Portland City Council.

With each of these leadership positions also comes a seat on the Legislative Council, which is responsible for the overall management of the legislative branch and has authority over whether to approve after deadline bills. 

On Tuesday, Daughtry won reelection with more than 70% of the vote, meanwhile both Pierce and Duson ran uncontested.