Waterville-area Democrats on Wednesday nominated a Fairfield man to replace incumbent state Sen. David LaFountain on the November ballot in state Senate District 16 race.

Nathaniel White Contributed photo

Nathaniel White, a middle-school teacher and coach who served formerly on the Waterville City Council, will take on state Rep. Scott Cyrway, a Republican from Albion who previously served four terms in state Senate.

Also this week, Democrats in House District 53 — which includes Chelsea, Dresden, Pittston and Randolph — selected Judith “Judy” Tunkle to take on incumbent Rep. Michael Lemelin, a Chelsea Republican.

The nominations come as the parties replace candidates who have dropped out since the June primaries. Often, political parties in Maine place “paper candidates” on the June primary ballots to hold the spot until another candidate can be found for the November general election.

Scott Cyrway Contributed photo

White, who represented Ward 2 on the Waterville City Council before moving to Fairfield in 2018, is also a firefighter and EMT in Winslow and Belgrade. He ran unsuccessfully for a Fairfield-area House of Representatives seat in 2020, losing to Republican Rep. Shelley Rudnicki of Fairfield.

White stood for the nomination to replace LaFountain, a Democrat from Winslow and former fire chief in Waterville who was elected in 2022 and ran unopposed in the June primary before dropping out of the race.

“I am honored to have received this nomination and will strive to uplift our community during this campaign and ultimately in the Maine Senate,” White said in a statement. “As a firefighter, teacher, and public servant, I have dedicated my life to helping others. I’m running for the Senate because we need a champion in Augusta who will stand up for working families and pursue common-sense policies that help Mainers live, work, raise a family, and age in place.”

White will face Rep. Cyrway, a longtime legislator who hopes to move back to the Senate after one term in the House. Cyrway, a retired law enforcement officer who is also an Albion selectman, beat Mike Perkins of Oakland in the June Republican primary.

After his primary victory, Cyrway said his top legislative priorities include defending the Second Amendment and opposing Maine Democrats’ push to expand gender-affirming health care in the state.

Judith “Judy” Tunkle Contributed photo

“It’s clear total Democratic control has led to a process that’s unaccountable to the people,” Cyrway said.

Tunkle, a retired licensed clinical professional counselor, served as the chair of the Dresden Broadband & Technology Committee in the effort to bring improved internet and cellphone access to Lincoln County.

“That is what I want to do now,” Tunkle said in a statement. “I want to learn who you all are and how we can find or develop a path that will improve the well-being for all of us. I don’t want to see winners and I don’t want to see losers. I want to see ways that can be found for all of us to have our lives improved.”

Michael Lemelin Contributed photo

She’ll face Rep. Michael Lemelin of Chelsea, a former commercial airline pilot who is now business manager at Chiro-Works in Hallowell. He is seeking his third consecutive term in the Legislature.

Lemelin, a conservative Republican, was censured by his colleagues in April along with Rudnicki after the two legislators said the mass shooting in Lewiston and recent storms were God’s punishment for last year’s expansion of abortion and other “immoral” laws passed by Democrats.

He said this week he looks forward to the campaign against Tunkle, whose husband is a priest at parishes in the Midcoast area.

“It is surprising that a Christian minister’s wife wants to be on the ticket with Joe Biden,” Lemelin said. “I welcome a positive discussion about the future of Maine. A discussion dealing with the real issues in Maine.”