Paula Anne Benoit (born March 12, 1955) is an American politician from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Benoit served as a Republican

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

from

's 19th District, representing part of

Sagadahoc County 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� ...

, 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 1948) is an American politician from Maine, who served as the majority leader of the Maine Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of ...

in the August election. In 2011, Benoit wrote a children's book, ''Baxter in the Blaine House'', about the Jack Russell Terrier mix of Maine Gov.

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 74th governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 20 ...

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 members of the Maine Legislature 21st-century American women politicians {{Maine-MESenate-stub