Here are the races to watch in Maine’s primary elections
Maine’s primary elections are underway ahead of next Tuesday’s voting, with contests for governor, a U.S. Senate seat,and congressional seats on the ballot. Polling locations will open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on each municipality.
For governor, the race too replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is highly competitive, with 12 candidates seeking their party’s nomination. A University of New Hampshire poll finds the Democratic primary essentially tied between Troy Jackson (28%) and Nirav Shah (28%), followed by Shenna bellows (13%), Hannah Pingree (12%), and Angus King III (7%), with 11% undecided. ranked-choice voting means second-choice preferences could be decisive if no candidate wins outright. On the Republican side,Robert Charles leads with 37%,ahead of Jonathan Bush (18%) and Benjamin Midgley (11%),while the remaining candidates are below double digits.
The congressional races also draw attention. In the 2nd District, four Democrats and one Republican are competing to replace outgoing rep. Jared Golden, with former Gov. Paul LePage expected to advance unopposed from the Republican side. In the 1st District, two Republicans face off to challenge Rep. Chellie Pingree, with Joshua Pietrowicz and retired Army colonel Ron Russell vying for the nomination.
The Senate race shifted after Mills suspended her Democratic campaign due to financial concerns. The remaining democrats include David Costello,Graham Platner,and write-in candidate Andrea LaFlamme. Platner has emerged as the early front-runner despite controversies involving past offensive Reddit posts and a tattoo comparison that he later covered,and recent polling suggests he could be competitive against longtime Republican sen.Susan Collins.
Maine’s state legislative primaries are relatively quiet compared with prior cycles, with every state legislative seat up for election in November and most candidates advancing unopposed within their parties.
Primary elections in the Pine Tree State are taking shape ahead of next week’s voting, with the governor’s office, a Senate seat, and congressional races all on the ballot as Maine voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday.
Polling places across Maine will open sometime between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Tuesday, depending on the size of each municipality.
Recommended Stories
Crowded race to replace Janet Mills
The race to replace term-limited Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) is among the most competitive contests on the ballot, with a dozen candidates seeking their party’s nomination for governor.
On the Democratic side, the field includes Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, energy executive Angus King III, former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, and former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah.
The Republicans are boasting several political newcomers, but also some familiar names. Candidates include President George H.W. Bush‘s nephew, Jonathan Bush; former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles; real estate executive David Jones; Garrett Mason; Owen McCarthy; Benjamin Midgley; and businessman Robert Wessels.
Recent polling conducted by the University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State Poll shows the Democratic primary effectively tied between Jackson and Shah. Both candidates received 28% support among likely Democratic primary voters.
Bellows followed with 13%, while Pingree received 12%, and King garnered 7%. Eleven percent of respondents remained undecided.
The poll showed Jackson gaining momentum since February, increasing his support by 12 percentage points, while Bellows saw a slight decline. Jackson performed strongest among independents, progressives, younger voters, and residents of northern Maine, while Shah found stronger support among moderates, liberals, and voters age 65 and older.
On the Republican side, 37% of likely primary voters say their first choice would be Charles, 18% would vote for Bush, 11% would vote for Midgley, while the other candidates did not receive support in the double digits.
Because Maine uses ranked choice voting, secondary support could determine the winner if no candidate secures a majority in the first round.
Whoever wins their party’s primary will likely face at least one competitive independent candidate in November.
Independent state Sen. Rick Bennett submitted more than 5,000 signatures to the Maine secretary of state’s office last week, securing his bid to appear on the November ballot alongside Republican and Democratic nominees.
Congressional races draw attention
Maine’s two congressional districts are also up for grabs this year.
In Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, four Democrats and one Republican are competing to replace outgoing Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). Democratic candidates include Joseph Baldacci of Bangor, former Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap of Old Town, Paige Loud of Old Town, and Jordan Wood of Auburn.
Former Maine governor Paul LePage is the lone Republican candidate in the race and is expected to advance to the general election unopposed.
Two Republicans are squaring off in the 1st Congressional District to face incumbent Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), who won her last election by a wide margin in the Democratic-leaning district, in the November general election. The two candidates vying to face Pingree are 26-year-old Joshua Pietrowicz, who has never won an elected office, and 72-year old retired Army colonel Ron Russell, who was the district’s Republican nominee in 2022.
Senate race shifts after Mills exits
There was a major shake-up in the race for Senate earlier this spring when Mills suspended her Democratic campaign after polling dismally against political newcomer and oyster farmer Graham Platner.
Mills announced the suspension of her campaign on April 30, citing financial concerns.
“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said in a statement.
The remaining Democratic field includes David Costello, Platner, and write-in candidate Andrea LaFlamme. The eventual nominee will face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November.
Costello previously ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2024 and worked as an environmental policy consultant. His campaign has focused heavily on environmental policy and opposition to the Trump administration and congressional Republicans.
Platner has emerged as the early front-runner in the Democratic primary despite facing scrutiny over previously discovered offensive Reddit posts and a tattoo he later covered after criticism that it resembled a Nazi symbol. Even with the controversy, Platner has risen above Democratic challengers with comparable statewide recognition, fundraising strength, and high-profile endorsements from top national figures such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Recent polling has suggested Platner could mount a competitive challenge against Collins in the general election.
PLATNER AND COLLINS FEUD OVER HIS ‘DECISION TO SERVE’ IN IRAQ WAR: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’
State legislative races relatively quiet
Compared to previous election cycles, Maine’s legislative primaries are relatively subdued this year. Every seat in the state legislature will be on the state ballot in November, 35 in the Senate and 151 in the House of Representatives.
Most of the candidates running will proceed to the general election, as most candidates are running uncontested within their parties.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
