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Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Maine's 2nd Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 16, 2026
Primary: June 9, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Maine

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Maine's 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd
Maine elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 2nd Congressional District of Maine, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is June 9, 2026. The filing deadline is March 16, 2026.

This is one of 51 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 30 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

General election

The primary will occur on June 9, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

Joe Baldacci, Matthew Dunlap, Paige Loud, and Jordan Wood are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 9, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

James Clark and Paul LePage are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 9, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Maine

Election information in Maine: June 9, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: June 9, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 19, 2026
  • Online: May 19, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: June 4, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 4, 2026
  • Online: June 4, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: June 9, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 9, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 10, 2026 to June 4, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

Varies - 8:00 p.m. (ET)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Joe Baldacci Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Matthew Dunlap Democratic Party $290,328 $135,659 $154,670 As of December 31, 2025
Paige Loud Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jordan Wood Democratic Party $4,318,383 $3,685,781 $632,602 As of December 31, 2025
James Clark Republican Party $50 $0 $50 As of December 31, 2025
Paul LePage Republican Party $1,224,151 $373,128 $851,023 As of December 31, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election 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.[1]
  • 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.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
2/24/20262/17/20262/10/20262/3/2026
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Maine in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Maine, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Maine U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 1000 N/A 3/16/2026 Source
Maine U.S. House Unaffiliated 2000 N/A 6/1/2026 Source

Democratic-held U.S. House district that Trump won

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Democrat in 2026 and won by Donald Trump in 2024

This is one of 14 U.S. House districts Democrats are defending that Donald Trump (R) won in 2024. The map below highlights those districts. Hover over or click a district to see information such as the incumbent and the presidential vote counts.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

General

General election for U.S. House Maine District 2

The ranked-choice voting general election for U.S. House Maine District 2 on November 5, 2024 was won by: incumbent Jared Golden (D) in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden (D)
 
50.3
 
197,1510Won (1)
Image of Austin Theriault
Austin Theriault (R)
 
49.7
 
194,44501
Image of Diana Merenda
Diana Merenda (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
001

Total votes: 391,596
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Democratic ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 11, 2024: incumbent Jared Golden in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden
 
100.0
 
23,1830Advanced (1)

Total votes: 23,183
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Republican ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 11, 2024: Austin Theriault in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Austin Theriault
Austin Theriault
 
66.6
 
26,7570Advanced (1)
Image of Michael Soboleski
Michael Soboleski  Candidate Connection
 
33.4
 
13,41901

Total votes: 40,176
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

General

General election for U.S. House Maine District 2

The ranked-choice voting general election for U.S. House Maine District 2 on November 8, 2022 was won by: incumbent Jared Golden (D) in round 2. The results of Round 2 are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds use the tabs above to select a round and the table will update.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden (D)
 
53.1
 
190,82012,062Won (2)
Image of Bruce Poliquin
Bruce Poliquin (R)
 
46.9
 
168,2914,8822
Image of Tiffany Bond
Tiffany Bond (Independent)
 
0.0
 
0-21,6552

Total votes: 316,382
Total exhausted votes: -42,336
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

The ranked-choice voting general election for U.S. House Maine District 2 on November 8, 2022 was won by: incumbent Jared Golden (D) in round 2. The results of Round 1 are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds use the tabs above to select a round and the table will update.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden (D)
 
48.4
 
153,0740Won (2)
Image of Bruce Poliquin
Bruce Poliquin (R)
 
44.6
 
141,26002
Image of Tiffany Bond
Tiffany Bond (Independent)
 
6.8
 
21,65502
  
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
 
0.1%
 
3930

Total votes: 316,382
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Democratic ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 14, 2022: incumbent Jared Golden in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden
 
100.0
 
25,6840Advanced (1)

Total votes: 25,684
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Republican ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on June 14, 2022: Bruce Poliquin in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Bruce Poliquin
Bruce Poliquin
 
60.1
 
22,1490Advanced (1)
Image of Elizabeth Caruso
Elizabeth Caruso  Candidate Connection
 
39.9
 
14,69901

Total votes: 36,848
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

General

General election for U.S. House Maine District 2

The ranked-choice voting general election for U.S. House Maine District 2 on November 3, 2020 was won by: incumbent Jared Golden (D) in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden (D)
 
53.0
 
197,9740Won (1)
Image of Dale Crafts
Dale Crafts (R)
 
46.9
 
175,22801
Daniel Fowler (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
001
Timothy Hernandez (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
001
  
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
 
0.0%
 
330

Total votes: 373,235
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Democratic ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on July 14, 2020: incumbent Jared Golden in round 1.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Jared Golden
Jared Golden
 
100.0
 
57,7180Advanced (1)

Total votes: 57,718
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Republican primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced from the Republican ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on July 14, 2020: Dale Crafts in round 2. The results of Round 2 are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds use the tabs above to select a round and the table will update.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Dale Crafts
Dale Crafts
 
92.4
 
198,1163,551Advanced (2)
Image of Adrienne Bennett
Adrienne Bennett  Candidate Connection
 
7.6
 
16,2072,7392
Image of Eric Brakey
Eric Brakey
 
0.0
 
0-9,5422

Total votes: 42,347
Total exhausted votes: -171,976
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.

The following candidates advanced from the Republican ranked-choice voting primary for U.S. House Maine District 2 on July 14, 2020: Dale Crafts in round 2. The results of Round 1 are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds use the tabs above to select a round and the table will update.

Candidate
%
Total votes
Transfer
Round eliminated
Image of Dale Crafts
Dale Crafts
 
45.7
 
19,3370Advanced (2)
Image of Adrienne Bennett
Adrienne Bennett  Candidate Connection
 
31.8
 
13,46802
Image of Eric Brakey
Eric Brakey
 
22.5
 
9,54202

Total votes: 42,347
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_me_congressional_district_02.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+4. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Maine's 2nd the 195th most Republican district nationally.[5]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Maine's 2nd Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
44.0%54.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Maine, 2024

Maine presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 12 Democratic wins
  • 20 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R D D D D D D D D D
See also: Party control of Maine state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Maine's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Maine
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 2 2
Republican 1 0 1
Independent 1 0 1
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 2 4

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Maine's top three state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Maine, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Janet T. Mills
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Shenna Bellows
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Aaron Frey

State legislature

Maine State Senate

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 14
     Other 1
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Maine House of Representatives

Party As of January 2026
     Democratic Party 74
     Republican Party 72
     Independent 3
     Unenrolled 0
     Vacancies 2
Total 151[6]

Trifecta control

Maine Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R I I I I I I I I D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D D D R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D

See also

Maine 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Maine congressional delegation
Voting in Maine
Maine elections:
202620252024202320222021202020192018
Democratic primary battlegrounds
Republican primary battlegrounds
U.S. Senate Democratic primaries
U.S. Senate Republican primaries
U.S. House Democratic primaries
U.S. House Republican primaries
U.S. Congress elections
U.S. Senate elections
U.S. House elections
Special elections
Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  5. Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
  6. Excludes three nonvoting members representing the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians.


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Democratic Party (2)
Republican Party (1)
Independent (1)