PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives nominated the state's first African American to serve as speaker, selecting a Portland lawmaker whose father was the first Black member of the Maine Legislature.
The progressive lawmaker from Portland still needs to be confirmed by the 151-member House, where Democrats hold an 82-seat majority, when it convenes on Dec. 7.
Democratic incumbent Janet Mills won a second term in the Blaine House and Democrats retained control of the House and Senate, giving the party firm control over the legislative agenda for the next two years.