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Maine's 1st Congressional District election, 2020
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Nov. 3 (in person); Oct. 19 (by mail)
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 5
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: No ID
- Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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Maine's 1st Congressional District |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: March 16, 2020 |
Primary: July 14, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Chellie Pingree (Democrat) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Maine |
Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd Maine elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
All U.S. congressional districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Maine, held elections in 2020.
Incumbent Chellie Pingree won election in the general election for U.S. House Maine District 1.
Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
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Heading into the election the incumbent was Democrat Chellie Pingree, who was first elected in 2008.
Maine's 1st Congressional District encompasses Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and York counties. Additionally, the district includes most of Kennebec County.[1]
Post-election analysis
The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
Presidential and congressional election results, Maine's 1st Congressional District, 2020 | ||
---|---|---|
Race | Presidential | U.S. House |
Democratic candidate ![]() |
60.1 | 62.2 |
Republican candidate ![]() |
37 | 37.8 |
Difference | 23.1 | 24.4 |
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Maine modified its voter registration procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Voter registration: The voter pre-registration deadline in the general election was extended to October 19, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House Maine District 1
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Chellie Pingree in round 1 .
Total votes: 436,027 |
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Democratic primary election
Democratic Primary for U.S. House Maine District 1
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Chellie Pingree in round 1 .
Total votes: 102,773 |
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![]() |
Republican primary election
Republican Primary for U.S. House Maine District 1
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jay Allen in round 1 .
Total votes: 31,124 |
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Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Eight of 16 Maine counties—50 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
Androscoggin County, Maine | 9.38% | 12.78% | 15.22% | ||||
Aroostook County, Maine | 17.19% | 7.62% | 9.58% | ||||
Franklin County, Maine | 5.47% | 18.41% | 20.29% | ||||
Kennebec County, Maine | 3.58% | 13.46% | 14.78% | ||||
Oxford County, Maine | 12.94% | 14.73% | 16.04% | ||||
Penobscot County, Maine | 10.91% | 2.93% | 5.12% | ||||
Somerset County, Maine | 22.67% | 1.68% | 5.70% | ||||
Washington County, Maine | 18.44% | 1.60% | 1.01% |
In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Maine with 47.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In 2016, Maine had four electoral votes. Maine's share of electoral votes represented 0.7 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.5 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Maine awards its electoral votes by congressional district and the popular vote. It has two electoral votes for the statewide vote and one for each of its two congressional districts. In presidential elections between 1820 and 2016, Maine voted Republican 67.3 percent of the time and Democratic 32.6 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Maine voted Democratic all five times.[2]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Maine. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 129 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 19.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 69 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 23.7 points. Clinton won nine districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 8.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 82 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 16 points. Trump won 17 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
1 | 64.22% | 33.76% | D+30.5 | 62.55% | 31.23% | D+31.3 | D |
2 | 57.25% | 40.85% | D+16.4 | 54.49% | 39.23% | D+15.3 | D |
3 | 57.10% | 41.89% | D+15.2 | 56.99% | 37.44% | D+19.5 | D |
4 | 56.87% | 41.62% | D+15.2 | 53.70% | 40.57% | D+13.1 | D |
5 | 48.42% | 49.31% | R+0.9 | 40.09% | 52.91% | R+12.8 | R |
6 | 54.77% | 43.03% | D+11.7 | 49.42% | 43.22% | D+6.2 | D |
7 | 54.04% | 44.26% | D+9.8 | 50.52% | 43.02% | D+7.5 | R |
8 | 57.56% | 40.71% | D+16.8 | 57.68% | 35.92% | D+21.8 | D |
9 | 58.64% | 39.98% | D+18.7 | 56.60% | 37.23% | D+19.4 | R |
10 | 54.02% | 43.13% | D+10.9 | 41.58% | 50.80% | R+9.2 | R |
11 | 66.36% | 31.38% | D+35 | 55.49% | 37.35% | D+18.1 | D |
12 | 69.51% | 27.82% | D+41.7 | 55.49% | 37.35% | D+18.1 | D |
13 | 63.20% | 35.03% | D+28.2 | 54.95% | 39.36% | D+15.6 | D |
14 | 63.73% | 34.40% | D+29.3 | 58.39% | 35.61% | D+22.8 | D |
15 | 60.76% | 37.27% | D+23.5 | 52.98% | 40.36% | D+12.6 | D |
16 | 52.74% | 44.50% | D+8.2 | 40.29% | 52.24% | R+11.9 | R |
17 | 52.83% | 44.53% | D+8.3 | 36.47% | 55.51% | R+19 | R |
18 | 61.34% | 36.11% | D+25.2 | 45.60% | 45.84% | R+0.2 | D |
19 | 57.69% | 40.05% | D+17.6 | 44.20% | 48.08% | R+3.9 | R |
20 | 46.78% | 50.23% | R+3.4 | 32.83% | 60.18% | R+27.3 | R |
21 | 52.88% | 44.78% | D+8.1 | 39.31% | 53.47% | R+14.2 | R |
22 | 50.96% | 46.27% | D+4.7 | 37.84% | 55.25% | R+17.4 | R |
23 | 50.59% | 47.44% | D+3.2 | 40.02% | 53.28% | R+13.3 | R |
24 | 51.97% | 45.85% | D+6.1 | 43.87% | 49.17% | R+5.3 | D |
25 | 52.34% | 45.03% | D+7.3 | 43.87% | 49.17% | R+5.3 | R |
26 | 57.85% | 40.10% | D+17.7 | 52.22% | 41.41% | D+10.8 | D |
27 | 55.21% | 42.99% | D+12.2 | 52.66% | 40.37% | D+12.3 | D |
28 | 54.16% | 44.13% | D+10 | 55.14% | 39.08% | D+16.1 | R |
29 | 54.16% | 44.13% | D+10 | 55.14% | 39.08% | D+16.1 | R |
30 | 63.23% | 35.50% | D+27.7 | 70.43% | 24.88% | D+45.6 | D |
31 | 72.88% | 25.36% | D+47.5 | 74.35% | 20.62% | D+53.7 | D |
32 | 66.87% | 31.00% | D+35.9 | 65.27% | 29.03% | D+36.2 | D |
33 | 67.72% | 30.37% | D+37.4 | 62.55% | 31.48% | D+31.1 | R |
34 | 61.95% | 35.19% | D+26.8 | 57.32% | 35.48% | D+21.8 | D |
35 | 63.65% | 34.15% | D+29.5 | 55.04% | 37.86% | D+17.2 | D |
36 | 69.85% | 28.12% | D+41.7 | 69.99% | 24.69% | D+45.3 | D |
37 | 74.82% | 22.79% | D+52 | 74.84% | 19.17% | D+55.7 | D |
38 | 84.99% | 10.96% | D+74 | 84.49% | 9.56% | D+74.9 | D |
39 | 84.15% | 12.47% | D+71.7 | 81.52% | 12.27% | D+69.3 | D |
40 | 83.40% | 12.49% | D+70.9 | 79.10% | 12.76% | D+66.3 | D |
41 | 74.79% | 22.43% | D+52.4 | 75.16% | 19.11% | D+56 | D |
42 | 73.59% | 24.03% | D+49.6 | 73.34% | 21.68% | D+51.7 | D |
43 | 60.77% | 37.87% | D+22.9 | 64.59% | 30.36% | D+34.2 | D |
44 | 54.86% | 43.78% | D+11.1 | 61.70% | 33.10% | D+28.6 | D |
45 | 52.97% | 45.45% | D+7.5 | 58.41% | 35.08% | D+23.3 | D |
46 | 53.97% | 43.54% | D+10.4 | 50.88% | 42.34% | D+8.5 | R |
47 | 61.12% | 37.17% | D+23.9 | 67.44% | 26.84% | D+40.6 | D |
48 | 63.72% | 34.42% | D+29.3 | 62.79% | 30.71% | D+32.1 | D |
49 | 66.60% | 30.87% | D+35.7 | 64.31% | 29.15% | D+35.2 | D |
50 | 66.60% | 30.87% | D+35.7 | 64.31% | 29.15% | D+35.2 | D |
51 | 58.58% | 39.45% | D+19.1 | 55.69% | 38.65% | D+17 | D |
52 | 63.98% | 33.34% | D+30.6 | 58.51% | 33.61% | D+24.9 | D |
53 | 56.02% | 41.61% | D+14.4 | 45.84% | 46.96% | R+1.1 | R |
54 | 57.11% | 40.82% | D+16.3 | 53.00% | 39.43% | D+13.6 | D |
55 | 52.51% | 44.95% | D+7.6 | 40.95% | 51.26% | R+10.3 | D |
56 | 50.09% | 46.77% | D+3.3 | 35.42% | 57.00% | R+21.6 | R |
57 | 49.74% | 47.49% | D+2.3 | 31.76% | 61.09% | R+29.3 | R |
58 | 56.16% | 41.59% | D+14.6 | 40.51% | 52.08% | R+11.6 | D |
59 | 59.75% | 38.11% | D+21.6 | 48.86% | 44.30% | D+4.6 | D |
60 | 69.63% | 27.53% | D+42.1 | 63.88% | 29.58% | D+34.3 | D |
61 | 60.40% | 36.73% | D+23.7 | 45.18% | 47.33% | R+2.2 | D |
62 | 57.96% | 39.18% | D+18.8 | 45.94% | 45.57% | D+0.4 | D |
63 | 56.47% | 40.52% | D+15.9 | 43.52% | 48.81% | R+5.3 | R |
64 | 54.78% | 42.67% | D+12.1 | 44.04% | 47.76% | R+3.7 | D |
65 | 50.66% | 47.08% | D+3.6 | 40.92% | 51.66% | R+10.7 | R |
66 | 52.42% | 45.33% | D+7.1 | 41.68% | 51.40% | R+9.7 | D |
67 | 50.43% | 47.14% | D+3.3 | 42.81% | 49.99% | R+7.2 | R |
68 | 50.59% | 46.79% | D+3.8 | 36.57% | 55.59% | R+19 | R |
69 | 52.79% | 44.16% | D+8.6 | 40.88% | 51.15% | R+10.3 | R |
70 | 53.93% | 43.29% | D+10.6 | 42.30% | 49.47% | R+7.2 | R |
71 | 54.29% | 42.05% | D+12.2 | 39.51% | 52.35% | R+12.8 | R |
72 | 51.93% | 45.45% | D+6.5 | 34.53% | 56.78% | R+22.2 | R |
73 | 53.53% | 42.96% | D+10.6 | 37.43% | 53.69% | R+16.3 | R |
74 | 62.03% | 35.41% | D+26.6 | 42.38% | 49.51% | R+7.1 | D |
75 | 48.71% | 48.59% | D+0.1 | 33.59% | 60.03% | R+26.4 | R |
76 | 54.86% | 42.71% | D+12.2 | 44.90% | 48.25% | R+3.3 | R |
77 | 50.66% | 46.96% | D+3.7 | 39.35% | 52.33% | R+13 | R |
78 | 53.91% | 43.85% | D+10.1 | 42.60% | 49.76% | R+7.2 | D |
79 | 47.84% | 49.51% | R+1.7 | 35.30% | 57.05% | R+21.7 | R |
80 | 52.45% | 44.63% | D+7.8 | 36.64% | 55.48% | R+18.8 | R |
81 | 54.77% | 42.68% | D+12.1 | 47.50% | 44.64% | D+2.9 | D |
82 | 48.51% | 48.09% | D+0.4 | 34.29% | 57.59% | R+23.3 | I |
83 | 56.63% | 40.02% | D+16.6 | 47.31% | 44.95% | D+2.4 | D |
84 | 56.51% | 41.13% | D+15.4 | 49.40% | 43.45% | D+6 | D |
85 | 59.68% | 38.00% | D+21.7 | 50.35% | 41.91% | D+8.4 | D |
86 | 59.23% | 37.24% | D+22 | 49.50% | 42.73% | D+6.8 | R |
87 | 52.02% | 45.12% | D+6.9 | 40.62% | 52.15% | R+11.5 | R |
88 | 51.72% | 45.78% | D+5.9 | 39.27% | 53.65% | R+14.4 | R |
89 | 54.45% | 43.61% | D+10.8 | 51.10% | 41.67% | D+9.4 | R |
90 | 59.64% | 38.13% | D+21.5 | 56.53% | 37.50% | D+19 | D |
91 | 50.59% | 46.34% | D+4.2 | 40.13% | 53.06% | R+12.9 | R |
92 | 59.72% | 37.88% | D+21.8 | 52.61% | 41.62% | D+11 | D |
93 | 63.76% | 33.86% | D+29.9 | 56.36% | 36.44% | D+19.9 | D |
94 | 65.85% | 32.61% | D+33.2 | 67.70% | 27.26% | D+40.4 | I |
95 | 52.53% | 44.46% | D+8.1 | 43.05% | 50.09% | R+7 | R |
96 | 53.22% | 43.96% | D+9.3 | 46.09% | 45.62% | D+0.5 | D |
97 | 60.95% | 36.52% | D+24.4 | 57.61% | 35.28% | D+22.3 | D |
98 | 50.39% | 46.30% | D+4.1 | 40.80% | 51.21% | R+10.4 | R |
99 | 49.59% | 46.79% | D+2.8 | 38.95% | 51.81% | R+12.9 | R |
100 | 41.66% | 55.96% | R+14.3 | 30.51% | 62.28% | R+31.8 | R |
101 | 48.05% | 50.31% | R+2.3 | 42.68% | 49.76% | R+7.1 | R |
102 | 43.04% | 54.85% | R+11.8 | 32.72% | 60.41% | R+27.7 | R |
103 | 40.91% | 57.49% | R+16.6 | 31.01% | 62.88% | R+31.9 | R |
104 | 41.88% | 55.97% | R+14.1 | 29.63% | 63.01% | R+33.4 | R |
105 | 42.29% | 54.99% | R+12.7 | 28.06% | 64.26% | R+36.2 | R |
106 | 49.42% | 48.50% | D+0.9 | 33.92% | 58.24% | R+24.3 | R |
107 | 57.01% | 40.00% | D+17 | 41.97% | 51.07% | R+9.1 | D |
108 | 53.21% | 43.49% | D+9.7 | 38.84% | 53.47% | R+14.6 | R |
109 | 67.24% | 30.12% | D+37.1 | 58.40% | 33.72% | D+24.7 | D |
110 | 63.87% | 33.47% | D+30.4 | 54.37% | 37.58% | D+16.8 | D |
111 | 50.44% | 46.68% | D+3.8 | 36.86% | 56.60% | R+19.7 | R |
112 | 53.48% | 42.87% | D+10.6 | 37.66% | 52.96% | R+15.3 | R |
113 | 60.85% | 35.30% | D+25.5 | 48.50% | 41.70% | D+6.8 | R |
114 | 55.26% | 41.90% | D+13.4 | 38.76% | 52.49% | R+13.7 | R |
115 | 58.85% | 38.24% | D+20.6 | 38.90% | 52.27% | R+13.4 | D |
116 | 60.75% | 35.80% | D+24.9 | 35.54% | 54.38% | R+18.8 | R |
117 | 55.13% | 41.53% | D+13.6 | 43.57% | 47.95% | R+4.4 | R |
118 | 45.86% | 51.52% | R+5.7 | 31.81% | 61.90% | R+30.1 | R |
119 | 45.96% | 51.43% | R+5.5 | 32.24% | 61.04% | R+28.8 | R |
120 | 46.60% | 50.44% | R+3.8 | 35.73% | 56.84% | R+21.1 | R |
121 | 45.21% | 52.49% | R+7.3 | 34.05% | 59.30% | R+25.2 | D |
122 | 63.72% | 33.19% | D+30.5 | 53.84% | 37.36% | D+16.5 | D |
123 | 71.47% | 24.38% | D+47.1 | 64.13% | 26.92% | D+37.2 | D |
124 | 59.61% | 38.17% | D+21.4 | 55.14% | 36.96% | D+18.2 | D |
125 | 58.95% | 38.77% | D+20.2 | 53.33% | 38.99% | D+14.3 | D |
126 | 58.95% | 38.77% | D+20.2 | 53.33% | 38.99% | D+14.3 | D |
127 | 58.95% | 38.77% | D+20.2 | 53.33% | 38.99% | D+14.3 | D |
128 | 48.27% | 49.97% | R+1.7 | 42.23% | 50.10% | R+7.9 | R |
129 | 46.34% | 51.62% | R+5.3 | 38.68% | 53.96% | R+15.3 | R |
130 | 50.42% | 47.47% | D+2.9 | 38.87% | 53.71% | R+14.8 | R |
131 | 53.33% | 44.07% | D+9.3 | 44.62% | 48.28% | R+3.7 | R |
132 | 50.56% | 46.18% | D+4.4 | 43.40% | 48.98% | R+5.6 | D |
133 | 61.90% | 35.54% | D+26.4 | 58.29% | 34.81% | D+23.5 | D |
134 | 65.13% | 32.50% | D+32.6 | 56.99% | 36.58% | D+20.4 | D |
135 | 65.78% | 31.66% | D+34.1 | 65.51% | 28.90% | D+36.6 | D |
136 | 48.92% | 47.96% | D+1 | 38.51% | 53.59% | R+15.1 | R |
137 | 45.33% | 52.54% | R+7.2 | 32.99% | 60.19% | R+27.2 | R |
138 | 46.20% | 51.54% | R+5.3 | 33.60% | 59.26% | R+25.7 | D |
139 | 52.45% | 44.64% | D+7.8 | 42.77% | 50.10% | R+7.3 | R |
140 | 54.52% | 42.52% | D+12 | 42.09% | 50.96% | R+8.9 | D |
141 | 40.37% | 57.48% | R+17.1 | 25.45% | 68.33% | R+42.9 | R |
142 | 44.25% | 53.03% | R+8.8 | 30.36% | 63.04% | R+32.7 | R |
143 | 52.29% | 45.49% | D+6.8 | 37.41% | 56.99% | R+19.6 | D |
144 | 42.14% | 55.70% | R+13.6 | 30.93% | 63.59% | R+32.7 | R |
145 | 38.61% | 58.67% | R+20.1 | 24.60% | 69.65% | R+45 | R |
146 | 42.70% | 55.08% | R+12.4 | 31.90% | 62.06% | R+30.2 | R |
147 | 52.79% | 44.50% | D+8.3 | 42.10% | 49.42% | R+7.3 | R |
148 | 54.63% | 42.47% | D+12.2 | 40.30% | 53.21% | R+12.9 | D |
149 | 52.29% | 45.53% | D+6.8 | 40.55% | 52.79% | R+12.2 | R |
150 | 72.28% | 25.81% | D+46.5 | 51.67% | 42.92% | D+8.7 | D |
151 | 62.84% | 35.10% | D+27.7 | 43.90% | 50.45% | R+6.5 | D |
Total | 56.44% | 41.10% | D+15.3 | 47.97% | 45.00% | D+3 | - |
Source: Daily Kos |
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+8, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Maine's 1st Congressional District the 137th most Democratic nationally.[5]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.15. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.15 points toward that party.[6]
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[7] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[8] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chellie Pingree | Democratic Party | $498,961 | $276,671 | $446,658 | As of December 31, 2020 |
Nancy Farrand | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Jay Allen | Republican Party | $79,585 | $69,853 | $9,731 | As of December 31, 2020 |
Ian Arthur Leavitt | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
Ranked-choice voting
Ranked-choice voting in Maine
Maine uses ranked-choice voting for all federal and state-level (e.g., governor, state senator, and state representative) primary elections. Ranked-choice voting is used in general elections for federal offices only (i.e., U.S. Congress and the presidency).[9]
Click here for information on the history of ranked-choice voting in Maine.
How ranked-choice voting works
Broadly speaking, the ranked-choice voting process unfolds as follows for single-winner elections:
- Voters rank the candidates for a given office by preference on their ballots.
- If a candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 percent plus one), he or she will be declared the winner.
- If, on the other hand, no candidates win an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.
- All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots.
- A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won an outright majority of the adjusted voters.
- The process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.
Example
Assume that there are four candidates for mayor in a hypothetical city. The table below presents the raw first-preference vote totals for each candidate.
Raw first-preference vote tallies in a hypothetical mayoral race | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | First-preference votes | Percentage |
Candidate A | 475 | 46.34% |
Candidate B | 300 | 29.27% |
Candidate C | 175 | 17.07% |
Candidate D | 75 | 7.32% |
In the above scenario, no candidate won an outright majority of first-preference votes. As a result, the candidate (Candidate D) with the smallest number of first-preference votes is eliminated. The ballots that listed candidate D as the first preference are adjusted, raising their second-preference candidates. Assume that, of the 75 first-preference votes for Candidate D, 50 listed Candidate A as their second preference and 25 listed Candidate B. The adjusted vote totals would be as follows:
Adjusted vote tallies in a hypothetical mayoral race | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Adjusted first-preference votes | Percentage |
Candidate A | 525 | 51.22% |
Candidate B | 325 | 31.71% |
Candidate C | 175 | 17.07% |
On the second tally, Candidate A secured 51.22 percent of the vote, thereby winning the election.
Note: The above is a simplified example used for illustrative purposes. Specific procedures vary by jurisdiction and according to the nature of the election (i.e., whether it is a single-winner or multi-winner contest).
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[10]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[11][12][13]
Race ratings: Maine's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
The Cook Political Report | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. |
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Maine District 1
Incumbent Chellie Pingree defeated Mark Holbrook and Martin Grohman in the general election for U.S. House Maine District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Chellie Pingree (D) | 58.8 | 201,195 |
![]() | Mark Holbrook (R) | 32.5 | 111,188 | |
![]() | Martin Grohman (Independent) | 8.7 | 29,670 |
Total votes: 342,053 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 1
Incumbent Chellie Pingree advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 1 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Chellie Pingree | 100.0 | 74,376 |
Total votes: 74,376 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 1
Mark Holbrook advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 1 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Mark Holbrook | 100.0 | 40,679 |
Total votes: 40,679 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eric Stanton (R)
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Chellie Pingree (D), who faced no primary opposition, defeated Mark Holbrook (R) and James Bouchard (L write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Holbrook defeated Ande Allen Smith by 57 votes in the Republican primary on June 14, 2016.[14][15][16]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | ![]() |
58% | 227,546 | |
Republican | Mark Holbrook | 41.9% | 164,569 | |
N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 276 | |
Total Votes | 392,391 | |||
Source: Maine Secretary of State |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
50.1% | 10,360 | ||
Ande Allen Smith | 49.9% | 10,303 | ||
Total Votes | 20,663 | |||
Source: Maine Secretary of State |
2014
The 1st Congressional District of Maine held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Chellie Pingree (D) defeated Isaac Misiuk (R) and Richard Murphy (I) in the general election.
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | ![]() |
58% | 186,674 | |
Republican | Isaac James Misiuk | 29.4% | 94,751 | |
Independent | Richard Paul Murphy | 8.5% | 27,410 | |
Other | Other | 0% | 63 | |
Blank | None | 4.1% | 13,089 | |
Total Votes | 321,987 | |||
Source: Maine Secretary of State Official Results |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Maine, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Maine," accessed June 1, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Maine.gov, "Ranked-choice Voting (RCV)," accessed February 24, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Maine Secretary of State, "List of Candidates who have filed for the June 14, 2016 Primary Election," March 15, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Maine Primary Results," June 14, 2016
- ↑ CNN "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016