Exit Poll: Sartoris Voters Say They Reelected District Attorney To Bring Down Heating Oil Prices

Illustration based on PMC Watch candidate forum, Oct. 14, 2026

PORTLAND, ME. Cumberland County voters who returned District Attorney Jackie Sartoris to office Tuesday told exit pollsters they were motivated by the issue that matters most to Maine families heading into winter, which is the price of heating oil.

"Number two oil was over five dollars when I filled up in October," said Doug Thibodeau, 58, of Westbrook. "She's the district attorney. If anybody can prosecute that, it's her."

The survey, conducted outside polling places in eleven towns by the Casco Bay Institute for Public Opinion, found that 64 percent of Sartoris voters expected oil to drop below two dollars a gallon by Christmas. Another 22 percent said they voted for her to fix the potholes on Route 1 in Scarborough.

"I hit one by the Dunkin' and lost a hubcap," said Brenda Pelkey, 71, of Scarborough. "I figure the DA can arrest the pothole."

Several voters praised what they described as her relaxed approach to enforcing the law. "She's very easygoing about crime," said Kyle Ouellette, 34, of South Portland. "I'm hoping she's that easygoing about my oil bill."

Others had broader goals. A Gorham man said he expected the district attorney to bring back free parking in the Old Port. A Falmouth woman said she was counting on Sartoris to get the Patriots to the playoffs, adding that the team "needs some accountability."

Institute director Dr. Wendell Hatch said the results were consistent with past surveys. "In 2022 most voters told us they picked the DA because the name was at the bottom of the ballot and they were almost done," Hatch said. "This year they have a plan."

Many voters said her easygoing approach is already paying off. Ray Gagnon, 66, of Windham, said his oil delivery Wednesday morning came in four cents a gallon cheaper than last month. "She hasn't even started the new term yet," Gagnon said. "That's the Sartoris effect. You go easy on crime and the oil companies get the message."

Hatch said his institute had charted the relationship and found a strong correlation between the number of crimes voters believe are going unprosecuted and the price of a gallon of number two oil. "When one goes down, the other goes down," he said, holding up a chart drawn in pencil on the back of a Hannaford receipt. "We are still working out which one is which."

Some voters urged patience. "If oil is down four cents already, imagine where it'll be once she lets a few more things slide," Pelkey said. "By spring I want them paying me to take a delivery."

A spokesperson for the Sartoris campaign, reached by phone while pumping gas in Freeport, said the office was reviewing all options. "We are prepared to charge heating oil with something," the spokesperson said. "We just need it to come down to the courthouse first."

At press time, Thibodeau had called the district attorney's office to report his oil tank was at a quarter and asked when a prosecutor would be by to fill it.