Stephanie Anderson has outraised incumbent Jacqueline Sartoris in campaign contributions, as both vie for district attorney in Cumberland County.
A quarter of Anderson’s donors are attorneys, records show.
Sartoris, a Democrat from Brunswick, was elected in 2022 and recently won her party’s nomination in a June primary against one of her former prosecutors. As of Sept. 1, Sartoris had raised $35,000, according to campaign finance records, with most of that received before June 9 and roughly $4,500 coming from eight contributors after the primary election.
Anderson, who was district attorney for 28 years before retiring in 2018, had raised more than $69,000 as of Sept. 14. At least 40 contributions came from practicing and retired Maine attorneys, according to an analysis of campaign finance records and a directory run by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.
“I think that really tells you a lot,” said Jennifer Ackerman, a long-time Cumberland County prosecutor who worked under Anderson for 16 years, including seven years as her deputy.
Publicly, the two candidates have sparred about who is most qualified to prosecute what are known as “quality of life crimes,” like public drug use and disorderly conduct, and about the implementation of progressive reforms.
Inside the courthouse, attorneys who have donated to Anderson’s campaign have complained about Sartoris’ leadership. Anderson said she was approached by prosecutors and defense attorneys, “across the political spectrum,” asking her to run. Anderson is running as an unenrolled candidate.
“I mean, I go by yards with my sign besides Troy Jackson signs,” said Anderson, who was re-elected seven times as a Republican. “This is an elected position, but it’s not partisan and it should not be politicized.”
Sartoris has said she is aware of discontent among defense attorneys and several prosecutors who have left the office and spoken out publicly, including Ackerman and Valerie Adams, who lost against Sartoris in the Democratic primary.
Sartoris has said it’s proof that she’s making the changes that she promised voters in 2022. In debates and forums, she’s highlighted her recent efforts through a federal grant to inventory untested rape kits, and a recent revamp of the county’s existing restorative justice options.
“This is not a popularity contest for lawyers, who usually want to preserve the status quo,” Sartoris said in a statement. “I ran to bring long-needed change to the people of Cumberland County. I have more regular people on my side, with more donors and more small dollar donations than Anderson. Soliciting money from defense attorneys seems like a conflict of interest.”
Sartoris’ primary campaign four years ago drew an unprecedented $300,000 from an out-of-state political action committee, funded by Democratic donor George Soros. The candidates still have another week before they file their newest campaign finance reports. Anderson said on Thursday she has raised another $14,000 in individual contributions since mid-September.
Anderson also serves and is running for another term on the Cape Elizabeth town council. She says she has raised no contributions for that race.
ENDORSEMENTS
At least eight individuals who have contributed to Sartoris’ campaign this year are attorneys, according to records from the bar and campaign finance reports.
John Kaminski, who donated to her campaign in September and is an attorney focused on affordable housing, praised Sartoris for her work on homelessness and for directing police to share evidence from bike and pedestrian crashes.
“I think she’s had a solid four years in office and will continue to move things forward when she’s re-elected,” Kaminski said.
Rep. Grayson Lookner, a Democrat in Portland, said Sartoris has been supportive of his proposals to improve public safety at the Legislature, particularly for diverting at-risk youth from the criminal justice system. House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat in Biddeford, said he endorsed Sartoris because of her opponent’s Republican history.
“We’re seeing this across the state that the Republican brand is so bad, that they’ve decided to put a cloak over that label and have ‘unenrolled’ candidates,” Fecteau said. “Voters should know that we have a very strong Democratic district attorney in Jackie.”
Anderson says she believes Sartoris is using the Democratic nomination to her advantage because she doesn’t have enough to highlight from her four years in office. Anderson also accused Sartoris of distorting her remarks.
At a forum hosted by Scarborough town leaders in September, Sartoris accused Anderson of having expressed a desire to work with federal immigration officials.
“I never said that local law enforcement should cooperate with ICE,” Anderson said in an interview, noting that state law restricts police from working with federal immigration officials. “I think I said there’s been a lot of injustices with ICE and it’s been pretty horrific. And why is that a big campaign issue?”
Sartoris previously stated her intent to prosecute agents who commit violent offenses without cause in her district. She has not charged any agents to date.
Anderson suggested the attorneys supporting her campaign “are the people that are paying attention to what’s going on to the DA’s office and what’s going on in the community regarding public safety.” She also highlighted endorsements from three police unions as evidence of her ability to work with law enforcement on prosecuting cases.
Scot Mattox, an attorney who was a Portland police officer for more than 20 years, said he probably arrested more than 1,000 people whose cases Anderson prosecuted.
“Stephanie recognized that a district attorney’s duty is not merely to secure convictions, but to administer justice fairly,” Mattox said in an email.
Former employees who spoke to the Portland Press Herald said they appreciated Anderson’s mentorship and her knowledge of criminal law.
“We can all agree, despite our different professional experiences, that when people like where they work, they care, they work harder, and the morale is stronger,” said defense attorney Kate Marshall, who interned for Anderson and later returned to the office as an assistant district attorney. “This can only benefit the community to which the office serves.”
CRITICISMS
Ackerman said she resigned less than a year after Sartoris took over. Ackerman, who now works for the state, said she was speaking only on her own behalf.
Adams worked in the district attorney’s office for about nine months. Adams was fired by Sartoris after she and a defense attorney asked Sartoris to consider not running.
Adams and Ackerman have both likened Sartoris’ office to a “ship without a captain.”
“She was very much focused on saying what she wanted to do in terms of policies, but the day-to-day work, and the day-to-day policies that our prosecutors needed, we weren’t getting answers,” Ackerman said.
Others have criticized Sartoris’ work in court, saying criminal cases are languishing and that she has at times gone beyond what they believe to be appropriate for her role.
“For me, that makes life for defendants and people who are caught up in the criminal justice system harder,” said defense attorney Rob Andrews.
On the mental health docket, Sartoris said she has dedicated much of her focus on defendants whose mental health might lead them to be found incompetent to stand trial, or not criminally responsible. Attorney Alison Brauner said Sartoris has pushed for forcible medication and the disclosure of clients’ sensitive health information.
“A criminal defendant doesn’t lose their right to privacy around their medical care,” Brauner said.
In a statement, Sartoris said she “will not apologize for asking a judge to medicate people, always at the request of an expert, when their untreated psychotic disorders are causing repeated criminal conduct.”