Augusta - After 46 years in the Maine Legislature, Rep. John Martin has been defeated for the first time, prompting whispers in the State House of, "Will he be back?"

The immediate answer is yes. He'll be back Monday to take care of some legislative business. But will he run again? Martin says he never says never to anything.

The 71-year-old Martin served 23 terms, mostly in the House, where he was speaker for an unprecedented 10 terms. Martin attributes his loss to heavy spending by his political adversaries on negative and sometimes false advertising.

Martin says he has plenty to keep him busy and has gotten 20 to 30 offers for other jobs.

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