Rachel Talbot Ross

Rachel Talbot Ross
Official portrait, 2018
Member of the Maine Senate
from the 28th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 4, 2024
Preceded byBen Chipman
104th Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
In office
December 7, 2022 – December 4, 2024
Preceded byRyan Fecteau
Succeeded byRyan Fecteau
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office
December 7, 2016 – December 4, 2024
Preceded byBen Chipman
Succeeded byYusuf M. Yusuf
Constituency40th district (2016–2022)
118th district (2022–2024)
Personal details
Born1961 (age 64–65)
PartyDemocratic
RelativesGerald Talbot (father)
EducationAmerican University (attended)
Wesleyan University (attended)

Rachel Talbot Ross (born 1961) is an American politician and civil rights advocate. A Democrat from Portland, she is the State Senator for Maine's 28th State Senate District, elected unopposed in 2024.[1]

In 2016, Talbot Ross became the first Black woman elected to the Maine Legislature with her election to the Maine House of Representatives.[2] She later served as the 104th Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives from December 2022 to December 2024, becoming the highest-ranking Black officeholder in the state’s history.[3]

Talbot Ross is the daughter of Gerald Talbot, Maine’s first Black legislator. She served eight years in the Maine House, including a term as assistant majority leader, before her election to the state Senate.[4] During her legislative career, she sponsored legislation related to criminal justice policy and authored legislation requiring racial impact assessments for new laws in Maine.[5]

Early life and education

Talbot Ross grew up in Portland, Maine. She is the daughter of Anita and Gerald Talbot and has three sisters.[6][7] Her father was the first person of color elected to the Maine Legislature. Talbot Ross is a ninth-generation Maine resident.[6]

Talbot Ross attended Wesleyan University and American University.[8] For 21 years, she worked for the City of Portland as the Director of Equal Opportunity and Multicultural Affairs, resigning in 2015 following a leave of absence.[9][10] She served as president of the Portland branch of the NAACP,[11] which disbanded in 2013; as of 2021, she was working with local leaders to reestablish the chapter.[12]

Talbot Ross helped direct the Maine Freedom Trails project, the first phase of which opened in 2006.[13][14] She co-founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Fellows program with Portland city councilor Pious Ali, a youth-led racial justice initiative for high school students of color in Portland.[6][15]

Talbott Ross has described herself as a prison abolitionist and has advocated for incarcerated individuals in Maine.[16]

Political career

Talbot Ross was first elected in 2016 to represent Maine House District 40. She won the Democratic primary against Herb Adams and Anna Kellar, and after Republican candidate Carol Taylor withdrew in late September, Talbot Ross received all votes cast in the general election.[17]

In 2018, she was again challenged in the Democratic primary by Adams and won 75%–25%.[8][17] She faced no opponent in the general election and was seated for a second term.[8] She faced no opponents in either the primary or general elections in 2020 and was elected to a third term on November 3, 2020.[11][17] Later that month, House Democrats unanimously selected her as assistant majority leader, making her the first Black legislator in Maine to hold a leadership position.[11]

Talbot Ross in 2018

During her tenure, Talbot Ross served on the Judiciary, Health and Human Services,[11] and Criminal Justice and Public Safety committees,[18] as well as the Maine State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.[8] She chairs the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Population, which she helped establish through legislation enacted in 2019,[11] and is a member of the Legislative Council.[19]

In the 130th Legislature, Talbott Ross introduced LD 2, An Act To Require the Inclusion of Racial Impact Statements in the Legislative Process. The bill passed both chambers on March 12, 2021, and was signed into law by Governor Janet Mills on March 17. The law requires new legislation in Maine to be evaluated for potential impacts on historically marginalized groups, making Maine the eighth U.S. state to adopt such a policy.[20][21][22]

With Speaker Ryan Fecteau term-limited in 2022, Maine Democrats nominated Talbot Ross as Speaker on November 18, 2022. She was elected when the legislature convened on December 7.[3] After reaching term limits in the Maine House in 2024, she was elected unopposed to the Maine State Senate.[23]

In February 2023, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recognized Black state house speakers, including Talbot Ross, during a Black History Month event at the White House.[24]

Awards and honors

  • 2006 EqualityMaine Bayard Rustin award for collaborative movement-building[25]
  • 2009 Roger Baldwin award, Maine Civil Liberties Union[26]
  • 2014 Deborah Morton Award, University of New England[27]
  • 2020 Gerda Haas award from the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine for work on human rights reforms[28]
  • 2020 Emerge Maine Woman of the Year[19]

Electoral history

2016 Maine House District 40 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rachel Talbot Ross 199 37.8%
Democratic Herbert Adams 171 32.5%
Democratic Anna Kellar 156 29.7
Total votes 526 100.0%
2016 Maine House District 40 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rachel Talbot Ross 3,156 100.0%
Republican Carol Taylor[a] 0 0%
Total votes 3,156 100.0%
Democratic hold
2018 Maine House District 40 Democratic Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rachel Talbot Ross 811 75.7%
Democratic Herbert Adams 260 24.3
Total votes 1,071 100.0%
2018 Maine House District 40 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rachel Talbot Ross 3,134 85.7%
Write-in 523 14.3%
Total votes 3,657 100.0%
Democratic hold
2020 Maine Maine House District 40 General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rachel Talbot Ross 3,885 100.0%
Total votes 3,885 100.0%
Democratic hold

Notes

  1. ↑ Taylor dropped out of the race too late to be removed from the general election ballot; votes cast for Taylor were regarded by the Secretary of State's office as blank.

References

  1. ↑ Kobin, Billy (13 November 2024). "Democrats Pick Former Maine House Speaker to Lead the Chamber Again". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  2. ↑ Paradysz, Amy (29 January 2019). "Rachel Talbot Ross, Maine House of Representatives (District 40)". Maine Women Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. 1 2 Overton, Penelope (2022-12-07). "Rachel Talbot Ross becomes first Black speaker of Maine House". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  4. ↑ Hartill, Daniel (11 September 2019). "USM honors Gerald Talbot, Maine's first African-American legislator, with Talbot Fellow". University of Southern Maine. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "Proposal to assess racial impact of laws approved in Maine". Associated Press. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. 1 2 3 Paradysz, Amy (29 January 2019). "Rachel Talbot Ross, Maine House of Representatives (District 40)". Maine Women Magazine. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ Hartill, Daniel (11 September 2019). "USM honors Gerald Talbot, Maine's first African-American legislator, with Talbot Fellow". University of Southern Maine. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Gray, Megan (31 May 2018). "Herb Adams challenging Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross in District 40 Democratic primary". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ Busby, Chris (19 December 2005). "Affirmative inaction". The Bollard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ "Portland Director of Multicultural Affairs to Resign". Maine Public. 15 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Thistle, Scott (4 January 2021). "Ascension to legislative leadership is bittersweet for Talbot Ross". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ↑ Flaherty, Nora (19 January 2021). "Maine NAACP Looks To Reopen Portland Chapter". Maine Public. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ du Houx, Ramona (2008). "Portland, Maine Freedom Trail unveils three more historic markers". Maine Insights. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ↑ Tompkins, Asha (29 October 2018). "The Portland Freedom Trail". Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ Adan, Abukar (16 January 2018). "Mainers Celebrate Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr". Maine Public. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ James, Samuel (6 June 2019). "Perspective: Chatting with Rep. Talbot Ross on jails, racism, and a legacy of doing what's right". Maine Beacon. Retrieved 5 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. 1 2 3 "Rachel Ross". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ↑ "Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross to serve as Assistant House Majority Leader". Amjambo Africa. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  19. 1 2 "Representative Rachel Talbot Ross". Maine House Democrats. Retrieved 2 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. ↑ "Proposal to assess racial impact of laws approved in Maine". Associated Press. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ Thistle, Scott (19 March 2021). "Governor signs bill requiring reviews of all legislation for racial impacts". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 22 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ "Maine Lawmaker Wants Consideration of Racial Impact of Bills". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ↑ Kobin, Billy (13 November 2024). "Democrats Pick Former Maine House Speaker to Lead the Chamber Again". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  24. ↑ Billings, Randy (28 February 2023). "Talbot Ross among Black leaders honored at White House ceremony". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  25. ↑ "EqualityMaine Foundation 22nd Annual Awards Banquet". Equality News. No. Summer 2006. p. 8. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  26. ↑ "MCLU Honors Rachel Talbot Ross". ACLU.org. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  27. ↑ "The Deborah Morton Society: Award Recipients". University of New England. Retrieved 3 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  28. ↑ "Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross is the 2020 Recipient of HHRC's Gerda Haas Award". Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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