Eliot Raphael Cutler (born July 29, 1946) is an American former lawyer, political candidate, and sex offender.
[1][2][3] In 2010, he placed second in a multi-way race, receiving 208,270 votes, equaling 35.9%, narrowly losing to Republican Paul LePage.
When he moved back to his home in Cape Elizabeth, he integrated the Far East influence with the Maine mystique of the residence.
[10] In May 2017, Cutler put his 15,455 square feet (1,435.8 m2) oceanfront home in Cape Elizabeth for sale for $11 million, citing his intention to move to a condominium in nearby Portland [12] and also to look for a place on the water in Maine.
Based on early, unofficial results, the Bangor Daily News projected that LePage would win, and Cutler conceded on the morning after the election.
[24] However, due to the state constitution's rules on gubernatorial elections, ranked choice voting is not allowed to be used for the position.
[26] In May 2017, Cutler announced that he would work with the political organization Maine Independents to recruit candidates for the 2018 elections.
[27] In March 2022, Cutler was arrested in Hancock County and charged with four counts of possessing child pornography.
[28] He agreed to plead guilty on May 2, 2023, to 4 counts of possession of sexually explicit material, and was sentenced 9 months in jail, with 10 additional years of probation and a $5000 fine.
[29] Prosecutors accepted the plea deal due to Cutler's age and the amount of time a trial could take.