Maine Democratic Party elects new leadership focused on uniting ‘all corners of the state'
Members of the Maine Democratic Party selected Leeds attorney Charles Dingman as its new chair as the party seeks to pivot from November's losses and focus on attracting a wider swathe of Mainers ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial election.
The Maine Democratic State Committee on Sunday also chose Imke Schlesser-Jandreau of Bangor to serve as vice chair. Neither Dingman nor Schlesser-Jandreau were endorsed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills who, ahead of Sunday's election, sent a letter to the committee throwing her support behind former state Rep. Raegan LaRochelle for chair and Jonathan Asen for vice chair.
Candidates to lead Maine Democratic Party hope to focus on rural outreach
'This is a challenging moment for all of us in the party of Maine's working people, as our new national regime serves the interests of the very few who are wealthy enough not to do their own work, and pursues its agenda without a care for those most vulnerable to their cruelty,' Dingman said in a statement after the vote.
'I believe Maine Democrats spoke loudly and clearly today that we will counter that toxic agenda with all our strength, reaching out to those in our rural and urban communities alike to reconnect with the disillusioned and expand our mission of fairness and opportunity for everyone.'
In addition to working at a private legal practice in Augusta, where he specializes on issues related to health care, Dingman has worked for several government agencies, including serving as general counsel on the Maine Health Care Finance Commission, and has volunteered for the board of Maine Equal Justice.
Having grown up on his family farm in Turner and now living in Leeds, Dingman told Maine Morning Star he feels 'connected to parts of the state … where we have a lot of our work to do in terms of reaching people who may have lost interest in Democratic Party.'
With a background in communications, which she teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maine, Bangor resident Schlesser-Jandreau said in a statement that she will work with Dingman to expand outreach efforts.
'We have an incredible opportunity to rebrand the party, lean into our values, and bring people together,' Schlesser-Jandreau said. 'By listening to Mainers who have felt unheard for too long we will build strong grassroots campaigns that unite all corners of the state. I'm excited to work alongside our Chair and Democrats across Maine to make a real difference in every community.'
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