Paula Benoit (born March 12, 1955) is an American 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 north ...

. Benoit served as 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 ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

from

's 19th District, representing part of Sagadahoc County, including the population centers of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and Topsham from 2006 to 2008. In 2006, she challenged incumbent State Senator Arthur Mayo III. Mayo had been a registered Republican, but switched parties shortly after his reelection in 2004. After a spirited campaign, Benoit beat Mayo. She was the only Republican to beat an incumbent Senate Democrat in 2006. As a State Senator, Benoit helped lead the charge for changing Maine's adoption law to allow adoptees to see their original birth certificates. In most states, original birth certificates are sealed. After this law went into effect Benoit, herself an adoptee, viewed her original birth certificate and discovered two of her colleagues in the legislature – State Senator Bruce Bryant and State Representative Mark Bryant – were her nephews. In 2008, Goodall defeated Benoit for re-election by 162 votes. She outperformed John McCain's U.S. presidential campaign in her district, with Senator McCain losing District 19 by 3,492 votes to U.S. Senator Barack Obama. In 2013, Goodall resigned after his appointment to a federal post and Benoit announced she would seek the Republican nomination for the special election. She was defeated by Democrat

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 ...

in the August election. In 2011, Benoit wrote a children's book, ''Baxter in the Blaine House'', about the

Jack Russell Terrier The Jack Russell Terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting in England. It is principally white-bodied and smooth, rough or broken-coated and can be any colour. Small tan and white terriers that technically belong to oth ...

mix of Maine Gov.

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 ...

References

1955 births Living people People from Sagadahoc County, Maine Writers from Maine Women state legislators in Maine Republican Party Maine state senators 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians {{Maine-politician-stub