Linda L. Baker (born 1948) is an American schoolteacher and politician from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. Baker, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

Topsham, Maine Topsham () is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,560 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The town is home to the annual Topsh ...

, represented District 23 in the

Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constituti ...

. District 23 encompasses all of

Sagadahoc County, Maine Sagadahoc County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,699. Its county seat is Bath. In geographic area, it is the smallest county in Maine. Sagadahoc County is part of the Portland� ...

and the adjacent town of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

. Baker taught in public schools for 31 years, including 26 at Mount Ararat High School in Topsham. She also spent 8 years on the Topsham Finance Committee and 3 years as a selectwoman on the Topsham Town Council.

Background

In 2014, Baker ran against incumbent State Senator

Eloise Vitelli Eloise A. Vitelli (born 1949) is the majority leader of the Maine Senate. She is a Democrat representing Senate District 24, which serves all of Sagadahoc County and the adjacent town of Dresden, Maine in Lincoln County. Vitelli was first elect ...

. Vitelli had beaten former Senator Paula Benoit in a special election the year before. Ultimately, despite being outspent substantially by outside groups, Baker bested Vitelli by 1,036 votes. As a Senator, Baker serves as Chairwoman of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources - the first Senator from Sagadahoc to chair the committee in decades. She also is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services. As a first term Senator, Baker proposed a bill to tie legislative pay to attendance. The bill ultimately passed the legislature with widespread bipartisan support and became law without the Governor's signature. Baker also received praise for "noteworthy action" from the Maine League of Conservation Voters for co-sponsoring the bipartisan Kids Safe Products Act which would dealt with toxic chemicals. In June 2016, Baker faced Guy Lebida of Bowdoin, Maine in the Republican primary for Senate District 23. Lebida, who was endorsed by Republican Governor

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...

, bested Baker by just 40 votes of out approximately 2,100 cast. Baker did not request a recount. Lebida was later defeated by Eloise Vitelli by over 1,300 votes.

References

1948 births Living people Schoolteachers from Maine American women educators People from Topsham, Maine Maine city council members Republican Party Maine state senators Women state legislators in Maine Women city councillors in Maine 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians {{Maine-politician-stub