Maine Democrats have nominated Matthew Dunlap for the 2nd Congressional District, setting up a contest against Republican Paul LePage. Hannah Pingree and Bobby Charles will compete for the state's governorship.
The outcome of the 2nd Congressional District race in Maine is crucial for the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives, with both parties vying for control.
Maine Democrats have selected Matthew Dunlap as their nominee for the state's 2nd Congressional District, setting up a contest against Republican Paul LePage. The race is significant as Democrats aim to retain control of the House of Representatives.
In the gubernatorial contest, Democrat Hannah Pingree and Republican Bobby Charles will face each other in the general election. The current governor, Janet Mills, is unable to run for re-election due to term limits.
Maine utilized ranked-choice voting for several primary contests, a system approved by voters a decade ago. This method involves voters ranking candidates, and if no candidate secures over 50% of the vote, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on second preferences until a majority winner emerges.
The 2nd Congressional District seat is open because the incumbent, Democrat Jared Golden, is retiring. Golden, a moderate, has expressed weariness with political incivility. Despite Golden's past successes in the district, it has also shown strong support for Donald Trump.
The Republican primary for the 2nd Congressional District saw LePage, a former governor and Trump ally, run unopposed. The Democratic primary for the same seat included Dunlap, state Senator Joe Baldacci, former federal Senate candidate Jordan Wood, and social worker Paige Loud.
In the race for governor, the Democratic primary featured Pingree, former Maine House Speaker; Shenna Bellows, the current Secretary of State; Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate President; Angus King III, an energy sector executive; and Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The Republican primary was more crowded, with Charles, former U.S. Under Secretary of State, competing against healthcare executive Jonathan Bush, former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, former Paris town councilor Robert Wessels, and businessmen Owen McCarthy, David Jones, and Ben Midgley. Additionally, Graham Platner won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Susan Collins.