AUBURN — In what became one of the most expensive races in Maine House history, two-term Republican Laurel Libby has retained her seat, winning the District 90 race over challenger Dan Campbell.

Libby, who lives in Auburn, received 1,650 votes there and picked up 1,167 in Minot for a total of 2,817.

Campbell, also of Auburn, got 2,035 in Auburn and 611 in Minot for a total of 2,646.

The difference between the two candidates was 171 votes.

Libby, an outspoken and conservative lawmaker, emerged during her bid for a third term in the House as a powerful force in Republican politics, and an extremely successful fundraiser for her network of political action committees. In addition to running her own campaign, Libby raised and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars into other races statewide to help fellow Republicans get elected to the House, ultimately outspending the official campaign arm of House Republicans.

Her fundraising efforts during the campaign have been interpreted as signs of her own personal ambition to rise through the ranks, although she was reluctant to commit to seeking higher office during her recent campaign.

In March, Libby told the Sun Journal she had weighed for several months whether to seek reelection to her House seat or run for an open state Senate seat, but ultimately decided to seek a third term in District 90. In a Facebook post at the time, Libby said, “I believe the House has the best opportunity to gain the majority, and thus, at least halt the current tyrannical agenda that is advancing in Augusta.”

Last month, Sen. Garrett Mason, who served four terms in the Senate when Republican Paul LePage was governor, including two terms as the Republican majority leader, said Libby’s passion and hard work, and her ability to organize and activate people around conservative causes in Maine is something that others in Maine’s GOP have had difficulty doing in the past.

In addition to her work in Maine, she is actively involved with national conservative groups such as the Club for Growth, Young Americans for Liberty and the Leadership Institute.

Libby came under fire by Democrats earlier this year when she spoke on the House floor against a bill to ban paramilitary activity, citing First Amendment freedoms of free speech and association, and the Second Amendment right to bear arms. That bill, in response to reports that a neo-Nazi group had attempted to set up a training facility in rural Maine, was ultimately signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills, but the paramilitary group at the heart of the debate decided not to establish a planned encampment in Penobscot County after all.

During her two terms, Libby has spoken out against many other Democratic bills, from election reform to tax increases, but also been willing to differ from her own party leadership by speaking out and voting against a Republican bill targeting foreign citizens’ ability to own land in Maine. She bucked her party again on a bill during the last legislative session that would have cracked down on illegal pot growing operations by monitoring electricity usage, which she argued was unconstitutional.

During her campaign she said, “I am committed to continuing to bring transparency to state government and advancing policies that create economic opportunities allowing businesses, individuals, and families alike to flourish; policies that help every child access the education that fits their needs; and policies that strip away the bureaucracy hindering access to quality, affordable, and accessible health care.”

A Bangor native, Libby worked for 13 years as a nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland and at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. The mother of five recently started Dawson Interiors, an interior decorating and real estate staging company.

She has said she got into politics in 2019 to push back efforts to end religious and philosophical exemptions for child vaccinations, helping to collect signatures for an unsuccessful people’s veto campaign to restore the exemptions after they were removed by the Legislature.

The following year, she ran for the District 90 seat held by two-term Democratic incumbent Bettyann Sheats, winning that race by 9 percentage points. Libby became an outspoken critic of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic and was among seven Republican lawmakers to lose committee assignments for flouting mask rules at the State House.

She ran unopposed in 2022 and, this year, was challenged by political newcomer Dan Campbell, a longtime track coach and community volunteer who was recently named Auburn’s Citizen of the Year.

Libby responded to a request for the Sun Journal for comment, saying “winning this election against an opponent hand-selected by the governor, with the full power of the political establishment behind them, makes it clear that my constituents want a representative who is not afraid to speak up on their behalf, and that they value transparency in government,” and thanking voters for reelecting her to the House.

Reached Wednesday afternoon, Campbell thanked his team of supporters for their dedication and love of the community.

“The community at large supported me in such a way that it was like every time I knocked on a door I just felt a sense of warmth and compassion, and I wanted to be able to give that back.”

He said he feels blessed to have “had a great, great, great adventure that brought me closer to theme of what the community needs.”

Campbell said he wishes Libby “the best luck,” and encouraged her to work for what’s best for the people of District 90.