The Maine Secretary of State’s Office has announced the results of the ranked choice voting tabulation for both gubernatorial primary races and the Democratic primary for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District representative.The winner of the Republican primary for Maine governor is Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles, while the winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary is former Speaker of the Maine House Hannah Pingree. Charles and Pingree advance to the Nov. 3 general election ballot, which State Sen. Rick Bennett has qualified for as an independent candidate.State Auditor Matt Dunlap won the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District. He will face former Gov. Paul LePage, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the general election for Rep. Jared Golden’s U.S. House seat. Golden announced in November 2025 that he would not seek reelection.The Secretary of State’s Office indicated that the results were going to be revealed at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, but the final steps of the tabulation process did not begin until shortly after 1:35 a.m. Friday. However, election officials appeared to encounter issues with a printer, so the final tabulation was delayed by several minutes. The tabulation began nearly a week ago on Friday, June 12, at the Maine Department of Public Safety Headquarters at 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. The process was open to the public to attend and was livestreamed on YouTube.Republican gubernatorial primary resultsCharles had a 17-point lead in the Republican race after Primary Night on June 9. But in a field with eight candidates on the ballot, he only received 37.9% of the vote and needed more than 50% in order to avoid a ranked choice tabulation.Crunch Franchising founding partner Ben Midgley finished second, Athenahealth co-founder Jonathan Bush finished third, former State Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason finished fourth, MedRhythms co-founder Owen McCarthy finished fifth, F.O. Bailey Real Estate owner David Jones finished sixth and former Paris Board of Selectmen member Robert Wessels finished seventh. State Sen. Jim Libby, who qualified for the Republican primary ballot but dropped out of the race before the election, finished eighth.”Maine is ready for change,” Charles said in a statement. “From Fort Kent to Kittery, from Downeast to Rangeley, Mainers sent a clear message: it is time to fix what is broken in Augusta. I am honored to carry that message into November.”Democratic gubernatorial primary resultsDr. Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was in the lead after the first-choice votes were counted on Primary Night. But Shah, Pingree, former State Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows each got more than 20% of first-choice votes.Shah ultimately finished second, Jackson finished third, Bellows finished fourth and Peaks Renewables founder Angus King III finished fifth.”After a year-long campaign and a careful count, the results are in. I'm grateful, I'm ready and there is no time to waste,” Pingree said in a statement. “I’ve spent nearly 25 years serving the people of Maine and the last year really brought home what that service is about — because Mainers show up for each other, in cities and towns, and they never give up on their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, donated, or opened their doors to talk with me about what matters to them, and what's at stake in this election.”Democratic CD2 primary resultsState Joe Baldacci was in the lead after the first-choice votes were counted, but Dunlap was only two points behind and former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood was close behind in third.Baldacci finished second while Wood finished third and social worker Paige Loud finished fourth.”Today’s results tell us that people want real change and a better future. I thank the other Democratic candidates for mounting exceptional campaigns and raising important issues across the state,” Dunlap said in a statement.How ranked choice worksThe primary elections for governor and Maine’s federal offices are decided by ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting allows voters to choose candidates in order of preference. For example, in the Democratic CD2 primary, there were four candidates who qualified for the ballot and there was also a write-in spot. That means voters could rank the candidates 1-5 in order of preference, if they chose to do so.In ranked choice voting races, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the first-choice votes counted on Election Night in order to win the race outright. If no candidate appears to have achieved a majority of first-choice votes based on initial results reported by municipalities, the Maine Secretary of State’s Office makes the determination to run a ranked choice voting tabulation.The votes are tabulated in rounds with the lowest-ranked candidate eliminated in each round. The second-choice votes cast by the voters who had the eliminated candidate as their first choice will then be counted and distributed to the remaining candidates. The rounds continue until there are only two candidates left, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The candidate determined to have received more than 50% in the final round is declared the winner of the race.
The Maine Secretary of State’s Office has announced the results of the ranked choice voting tabulation for both gubernatorial primary races and the Democratic primary for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District representative.
The winner of the Republican primary for Maine governor is Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles, while the winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary is former Speaker of the Maine House Hannah Pingree. Charles and Pingree advance to the Nov. 3 general election ballot, which State Sen. Rick Bennett has qualified for as an independent candidate.
State Auditor Matt Dunlap won the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District. He will face former Gov. Paul LePage, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the general election for Rep. Jared Golden’s U.S. House seat. Golden announced in November 2025 that he would not seek reelection.
The Secretary of State’s Office indicated that the results were going to be revealed at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, but the final steps of the tabulation process did not begin until shortly after 1:35 a.m. Friday. However, election officials appeared to encounter issues with a printer, so the final tabulation was delayed by several minutes.
The tabulation began nearly a week ago on Friday, June 12, at the Maine Department of Public Safety Headquarters at 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. The process was open to the public to attend and was livestreamed on YouTube.
Republican gubernatorial primary results
Charles had a 17-point lead in the Republican race after Primary Night on June 9. But in a field with eight candidates on the ballot, he only received 37.9% of the vote and needed more than 50% in order to avoid a ranked choice tabulation.
Crunch Franchising founding partner Ben Midgley finished second, Athenahealth co-founder Jonathan Bush finished third, former State Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason finished fourth, MedRhythms co-founder Owen McCarthy finished fifth, F.O. Bailey Real Estate owner David Jones finished sixth and former Paris Board of Selectmen member Robert Wessels finished seventh. State Sen. Jim Libby, who qualified for the Republican primary ballot but dropped out of the race before the election, finished eighth.
“Maine is ready for change,” Charles said in a statement. “From Fort Kent to Kittery, from Downeast to Rangeley, Mainers sent a clear message: it is time to fix what is broken in Augusta. I am honored to carry that message into November.”
Democratic gubernatorial primary results
Dr. Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was in the lead after the first-choice votes were counted on Primary Night. But Shah, Pingree, former State Senate President Troy Jackson and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows each got more than 20% of first-choice votes.
Shah ultimately finished second, Jackson finished third, Bellows finished fourth and Peaks Renewables founder Angus King III finished fifth.
“After a year-long campaign and a careful count, the results are in. I'm grateful, I'm ready and there is no time to waste,” Pingree said in a statement. “I’ve spent nearly 25 years serving the people of Maine and the last year really brought home what that service is about — because Mainers show up for each other, in cities and towns, and they never give up on their neighbors. Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, donated, or opened their doors to talk with me about what matters to them, and what's at stake in this election.”
Democratic CD2 primary results
State Joe Baldacci was in the lead after the first-choice votes were counted, but Dunlap was only two points behind and former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood was close behind in third.
Baldacci finished second while Wood finished third and social worker Paige Loud finished fourth.
“Today’s results tell us that people want real change and a better future. I thank the other Democratic candidates for mounting exceptional campaigns and raising important issues across the state,” Dunlap said in a statement.
How ranked choice works
The primary elections for governor and Maine’s federal offices are decided by ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting allows voters to choose candidates in order of preference. For example, in the Democratic CD2 primary, there were four candidates who qualified for the ballot and there was also a write-in spot. That means voters could rank the candidates 1-5 in order of preference, if they chose to do so.
In ranked choice voting races, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the first-choice votes counted on Election Night in order to win the race outright. If no candidate appears to have achieved a majority of first-choice votes based on initial results reported by municipalities, the Maine Secretary of State’s Office makes the determination to run a ranked choice voting tabulation.
The votes are tabulated in rounds with the lowest-ranked candidate eliminated in each round. The second-choice votes cast by the voters who had the eliminated candidate as their first choice will then be counted and distributed to the remaining candidates. The rounds continue until there are only two candidates left, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The candidate determined to have received more than 50% in the final round is declared the winner of the race.
