(RepublicanInformer.com)- Jackie Sartoris, the prosecutor for Kennebec County, defeated Jonathan Sahrbeck, the current Cumberland County district attorney, in a Democratic primary on Tuesday, guaranteeing her victory in the general election in November.
At 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sarhrbeck conceded the election after Sartoris received 63.9 percent of the vote against Sahrbeck’s 36.1 percent. Sartoris will be unopposed in the November election because neither a Republican nor an independent entered the race.
Sartoris said If the people choose her in November, she is ready for the difficult work ahead, and she looks forward to securing the reasonable and practical policies that reflect the values of her county and deliver the criminal justice changes she promised in this campaign.
George Soros, a Democratic megadonor who has been leading a national campaign to elect liberal prosecutors nationwide, spent a lot of money, and Sartoris profited from it.
To unseat Sahrbeck, a group funded by Soros’ network spent $440,000—more than any district attorney election in Maine from 2012 through 2020.
The primary distinctions between the candidates were how they approached the position. While Sartoris argued that the job should be centered on policy and how to prosecute people, Sahrbeck said that the top prosecutors should directly engage with the community about concerns that can place people in jail. At a Maine Young Justice discussion in June, both participants argued that the state’s sole youth prison should be closed.
Party allegiance had a significant role in the race. When Sartoris identified herself as a “lifelong Democrat,” she was alluding to Sahrbeck’s previous Republican registration and employment under Republican district attorney Stephanie Anderson. After a Republican and a Democrat withdrew, he was elected to his first term as an independent by default in 2018. Later, he joined the Democrats, claiming that he generally agreed with them.
Although Soros’ direct involvement was acknowledged in advertising and mailers, the incumbent characterized the attacks on him as a “dark money” attempt to unseat him. Sartoris condemned the nasty campaigning but claimed it was a good sign that influential organizations were following the contest.
In a statement, Sahrbeck said he would support Jackie in the transition as she formally assumes the position to achieve the greatest result for the residents of Cumberland County.
