Jill Duson
Jill Duson (born 1953) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and politician from Portland, Maine.
Jill Duson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Maine Senate from the 28th district | |
| Assumed office December 7, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Heather Sanborn |
| Mayor of Portland | |
| In office December 2008 – December 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Suslovic |
| Succeeded by | Nick Mavodones, Jr. |
| In office December 2004 – December 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Smith |
| Succeeded by | James I. Cohen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1953 (age 70–71) Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Portland, Maine |
| Occupation | Attorney, Lobbyist, Retail |
Duson has served on both the Portland School Board and the Portland, Maine City Council since 2001. In 2004, Duson became the first African-American mayor of Maine's largest city and the first African-American women mayor in the state when she was elected by her fellow council members to chair meetings under the city's then council-manager system.
In 2011, Duson ran for the newly-created position of mayor. Rep. Anne Haskell was her campaign manager. She finished in sixth place out of fifteen candidates on the ballot.
In 2012, Duson was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a Democratic elector in the general election. She was a supporter of President Barack Obama.
In June 2016, Duson ran for the Democratic nomination for State Senate in her district. She lost to Representative and former sheriff Mark Dion.
In November 2017, Duson was re-elected for the fifth time over two challengers. Soon thereafter, she declared her intent to seek the nomination for State Senate in the 2018 election after Dion announced his intention to run for governor. In June, Duson received approximately 41% of the votes in the Democratic primary and lost to Rep. Heather Sanborn. She did not seek re-election in 2020. She was elected to the Maine Senate in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to serve as a state senator in Maine's history.