Maine Democrats say they will keep control of the state House of Representatives for the next two years following several close contests on Tuesday.

They project a 76-72 majority with two independents and one race too close to call. Republicans picked up seats, but not enough to take control of the chamber, according to unofficial election night results from the Associated Press.

When the current legislative session began two years ago, Democrats held 82 seats and Republicans had 67, with two independents.

If this year’s totals hold, the Democrats will control both the House and Senate for the final two years of Gov. Janet Mills’ term in office. Democrats have controlled the House since 2013 and the Senate since 2019.

“Mainers have spoken, they have voted to elect educators, healthcare workers, small business owners, and parents — and have built State House and Senate majorities that are truly representative of the people of our great state,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Bev Uhlenhake said in a statement.

In addition to setting the legislative agenda, control of both chambers means Democrats get to pick who serves as Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and state Auditor.

Over in the Senate, Democrats appear to have a 20-15 majority based on unofficial results. The closest race is in the Augusta area, where Rep. Richard Bradstreet (R-Vassalboro) is the apparent election night winner over Rep. Raegan LaRochelle (D-Augusta) by a margin of 50.6% to 49.4%, according to AP.

The AP has not yet called the race for either candidate, but Bradstreet leads by 259 votes out of 21,333 cast, according to AP data.

In the House, several races appear close enough to warrant a recount.

Those include:

• House District 58 (Belgrade, Fayette, Mount Vernon, New Sharon, Rome, Vienna), where independent Sharon Frost leads Republican Daniel Newman 3,122 to 3,100 votes.
• House District 75 (Chesterville and Farmington), where Republican Randall Gauvin leads Democrat Stephan Bunker by just 13 votes, 2,289 to 2,276.
• House District 81 (Greenwood, Norway, Stoneham, Stow, Sweden, Waterford, Albany Township), where Republican Peter Wood leads Democrat Joan Beal 2,792 to 2,763, a difference of 29 votes.
• House District 96 (Lewiston), where Democrat Michel Lajoie leads Republican Kerryl Clement 2,521 to 2,498 a difference of just 23 votes.

Candidates requesting recounts must do so by Nov. 13, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The new Legislature will be sworn in Dec. 4.