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Democrats don't let controversial Republican candidate go unchallenged

Maine Democrats announced on Thursday that Eryn Gilchrist met the criteria to represent the party in the race for Maine House District 57.

GREENE (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- What looked to be a free ride into the State House is over for a Republican candidate whose comments drew nationwide outrage.

Maine Democrats announced on Thursday that 28-year-old Eryn Gilchrist met the criteria to represent the party in the race for Maine House District 57, covering the towns of Greene and Sabattus. For the Republicans, Thomas H. Martin Jr. is listed as an active candidate, according to the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices website.

Gilchrist beat the deadline for inclusion on the ballot by just a few hours.Martin submitted signatures close to the deadline.

Before Gilchrist and Martin launched their campaigns, the only person running for the seat was the Republican candidate, Leslie Gibson. He got national attention for harsh words he used on Twitter about students from the school in Parkland, Fla. where a shooting killed 17 people several weeks earlier.

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Gibson called one student a "skinhead lesbian" and called another a "bald-faced liar" in reaction to their outspoken support for gun control regulations, while describing himself as a defender of "our constitutional rights." After being barraged with criticism from across the country, Gibson tweeted an apology to one of the students.

Gilchrist addressed the controversy in a written statement. She said, "...after reading Mr. Gibson’s comments I thought that the people of Greene and Sabattus deserved a representative who will respect people and try to work through their differences to make our lives better.”

Gilchrist works for a medical device company based in Bowdoin. Gilchrist and Martin both reside in Greene, Maine.

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