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Robert Macdonald Defeats Ben Chin in Runoff Election for Lewiston Mayor

LEWISTON, Maine — Incumbent city mayor Robert Macdonald has won another term in office.

Though his opponent Democrat Ben Chin garnered the most votes in November's five-way election, the runoff election Tuesday turned the tide in Macdonald's favor. But Chin is vowing to continue to fight for issues he raised during his campaign.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., the results were in — Macdonald won, with about 53 percent of the vote to Chin's 47 percent.

When Chin addressed supporters at a Lewiston restaurant, he first offered congratulations to Macdonald. Then, he confessed his disappointment.

"If you're like me, it's probably natural to be feeling a little bit dark right now," he says. "I spent all day at the polls, and one thing that surprised me was how many neighbors actually refused to shake my hand."

He said he knew it would be an uphill battle going against a two-term incumbent. When he kicked off his campaign in March, Chin, who is 30, had virtually no name recognition.This was his first run for the office. But over the next eight months, he raised more than $87,000 for his campaign, compared with less than $6,000 by Macdonald.

Chin held press conferences and rallies to call for better housing. He proposed creating a city Office of Immigrant Integration for Lewiston's refugee population, changes that voter Rachel Hatch said Lewiston needs as she cast her ballot Tuesday.

"It needs some fresh ideas," she says. "I think people need to feel supported and heard, and we need to build community."

Voter Kathy Timmermeyer hoped Chin would also help bring some of the economic growth that's hit Portland north to Maine's second largest city.

"I feel like things have just kind of died down here," she says. "I've lived here most of my life, and lately I'm seeing a lot of stores and places like that — they're gone."

While some Lewiston residents saw Chin as the fresh start the city needs, others, such as Dan Levesque, said the experience of 68-year-old Robert Macdonald made him the right guy to tackle pressing issues.

"Less taxes," Levesque says. "More for people that's been here for awhile — do you know what I mean? And more jobs."

Macdonald also won the support of voters such as Judi Albert, who felt the election was less about the candidates and more about the influence of outside organizations — namely, the Maine People's Alliance. Chin is the MPA's political engagement director, and the organization served as a critical supporter of his campaign. MPA members also won seats in four of the city council's seven slots in the November election.

"It actually feels kind of scary that they were able as a huge organization to actually get people voted in to our city council, and to get people voted into our school committee," she says, and, she feared, the mayor's office.

But with 32 percent voter turnout, Mayor Robert Macdonald will now hold a third term as mayor. He says he wants to leave Lewiston better than when he first took office in 2012, and he'll continue to work for welfare reform.

"The other thing is we've gotta start building houses for the working poor, and the underlined word is working," Macdonald says.

Ben Chin says he doesn't know whether he'll run for mayor again. But he says his defeat won't stop him from working on issues for Lewiston, such as raising the minimum wage and improving city schools.