LEWISTON — Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, will leave the Legislature in 2016. 

Rotundo, who has served four terms in both the Maine House and Maine Senate, said she wouldn’t attempt to run for the Senate again now that she has served the maximum number of consecutive terms in the House.

Rotundo has been an influential lawmaker and has served numerous terms as a co-chair of the state budget-writing Appropriations Committee.

Rotundo, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2000, said she would instead support the re-election campaign of state Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston.

“We have a wonderful senator in Nate Libby; I will very happily support him in this upcoming election,” Rotundo said. “I’m very sorry that I’m termed out; I wish I could continue to serve, but we have term limits and that’s not a possibility, so I will find other ways to serve my community and my state.”

Also termed out is state Rep. Michel Lajoie, D-Lewiston, the city’s House District 59 representative. Lajoie, a former Lewiston fire chief, serves on the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

Candidates have until March 15 to sign up to run. As of Monday, no candidates had announced campaigns for either House District 58 or 59.

sthistle@sunjournal.com