PARIS — Oxford County Commission candidate Terry Hayes of Buckfield has withdrawn from the race to work for gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler.

Hayes, 55, a Democratic state representative for Sumner, Buckfield, Paris and Hartford, said Tuesday that she voluntarily withdrew from the race because she had accepted a position with the Cutler campaign and wouldn’t be effective while splitting her time.

The announcement comes after Hayes ran unopposed in the June 10 primary and temporarily leaves Democrats without a candidate to run against Republican Diane Jackson of Oxford for the four-year Oxford County District 3 seat.

The district includes the towns of Buckfield, Hebron, Oxford, Otisfield, Paris, West Paris, Woodstock, Hartford and Sumner.

Hayes said she’ll work as a regional representative for the gubernatorial candidate, creating a presence in the Oxford Hills area by linking the statewide campaign with local voters.

Cutler, an independent, is running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage in November’s general election.

Hayes, who has endorsed Cutler in the past, said, “It’s been great fun so far. It’s nice to get up and love going to your job in the morning.”

After serving eight years in the Legislature, Hayes said she endorsed Cutler over Michaud because “he doesn’t bring the normal party baggage.”

“What I’ve seen in both parties is a dysfunctional relationship with some of their allies. Parties court relationships with allies because they need money. Sometimes your allies ask you for things outside the boundaries,” she said. “Our parties don’t say no. He can do the best for Maine instead of a party.”

Reacting to the news Tuesday, Oxford County Treasurer Roy Gedat, a Democrat, said Hayes’ withdrawal from the race, “is a big blow to us.”

“I’m not sure who will run,” Gedat said.

ccrosby@sunjournal.com