{"id":2611588,"date":"2026-06-07T06:54:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/here-are-the-races-to-watch-in-maines-primary-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T06:55:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:55:23","slug":"here-are-the-races-to-watch-in-maines-primary-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/here-are-the-races-to-watch-in-maines-primary-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Here are the races to watch in Maine&#8217;s primary elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhere-are-the-races-to-watch-in-maines-primary-elections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611588&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Maine\u2019s primary elections are underway ahead of next Tuesday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>For governor, the race too replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is highly competitive, with 12 candidates seeking their party\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>The congressional races also draw attention. In the 2nd District, four Democrats and one Republican are competing to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >replace outgoing rep<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/between-99-and-100-jason-miller-says-trump-is-definitely-running-in-2024\/\" title=\"\u2018Between 99 And 100%\u2019: Jason Miller Says Trump Is \u2018Definitely\u2019 Running In 2024\">recent polling suggests<\/a> he could be competitive against longtime Republican sen.Susan Collins.<\/p>\n<p>Maine\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teacher-unions-backing-downstate-republicans-very-rare-says-researcher\/\" title=\"Researcher Notes Uncommon Support from Teacher Unions for Downstate ...s\">state legislative primaries<\/a> 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.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primary elections in the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\"> Pine Tree State <\/a>are taking shape ahead of next week\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"195\">voting<\/a>, with the governor\u2019s office, a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> seat, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">congressional<\/a> races all on the ballot as Maine voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Polling places across Maine will open sometime between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Tuesday, depending on the size of each municipality.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4598189\/graham-platner-fires-back-fetterman-hoodie\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Graham Platner fires back at Fetterman: \u2018It\u2019s not the hoodie, dude\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4578592\/july-social-security-direct-payment-25-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>July Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in 25 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4578573\/first-round-june-social-security-four-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>First round of June Social Security payments goes out in four days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 id=\"h-crowded-race-to-replace-janet-mills\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crowded race to replace Janet Mills<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s nomination for governor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Republicans are boasting several political newcomers, but also some familiar names. Candidates include President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-h-w-bush\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"427\">George H.W. Bush<\/a>\u2018s 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent polling conducted by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/scholars.unh.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1959&#038;context=survey_center_polls\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/scholars.unh.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1959&#038;context=survey_center_polls\">University of New Hampshire\u2019s Pine Tree State Poll <\/a>shows the Democratic primary effectively tied between Jackson and Shah. Both candidates received 28% support among likely Democratic primary voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bellows followed with 13%, while Pingree received 12%, and King garnered 7%. Eleven percent of respondents remained undecided.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because Maine uses ranked choice voting, secondary support could determine the winner if no candidate secures a majority in the first round.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whoever wins their party\u2019s primary will likely face at least one competitive independent candidate in November. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Independent state Sen. Rick Bennett submitted more than 5,000 signatures to the Maine secretary of state\u2019s office last week, securing his bid to appear on the November ballot alongside Republican and Democratic nominees.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-congressional-races-draw-attention\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Congressional races draw attention<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maine\u2019s two congressional districts are also up for grabs this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Maine\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Maine governor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paul-lepage\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4384\">Paul LePage<\/a> is the lone Republican candidate in the race and is expected to advance to the general election unopposed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/army\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1905\">Army<\/a> colonel Ron Russell, who was the district\u2019s Republican nominee in 2022.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-senate-race-shifts-after-mills-exits\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Senate race shifts after Mills exits<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a major shake-up in the race for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> earlier this spring when Mills suspended her Democratic campaign after polling dismally against political newcomer and oyster farmer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mills announced the suspension of her campaign on April 30, citing financial concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else \u2014 the fight \u2014 to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,\u201d Mills <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4549217\/janet-mills-drops-out-maine-senate-race-clearing-way-platner\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4549217\/janet-mills-drops-out-maine-senate-race-clearing-way-platner\/\">said<\/a> in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remaining Democratic field includes David Costello, Platner, and write-in candidate Andrea LaFlamme. The eventual nominee will face longtime Republican Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\"> Trump administration<\/a> and congressional Republicans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elizabeth-warren\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"250\">Elizabeth Warren <\/a>(D-MA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4584311\/graham-platner-lead-susan-collins-9-points-maine-senate-poll\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4584311\">Recent polling <\/a>has suggested Platner could mount a competitive challenge against Collins in the general election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4586603\/platner-collins-feud-over-iraq-war-service\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4586603\/platner-collins-feud-over-iraq-war-service\/\">PLATNER AND COLLINS FEUD OVER HIS \u2018DECISION TO SERVE\u2019 IN IRAQ WAR: \u2018SLAP IN THE FACE\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-state-legislative-races-relatively-quiet\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">State legislative races relatively quiet<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared to previous election cycles, Maine\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the candidates running will proceed to the general election, as most candidates are running uncontested within their parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine primary elections ramp up Tuesday, with polls opening 6-10 a.m<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2611589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26099797916603.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35561,9148,38090,41726,43779],"class_list":["post-2611588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election-coverage","tag-maine","tag-primary-elections","tag-state-politics","tag-voting-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26099797916603.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611588"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611592,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611588\/revisions\/2611592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}