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Maine House of Representatives elections, 2022
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| 2022 Maine House Elections | |
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| Primary | June 14, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
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| 2022 Elections | |
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Elections for the Maine House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 14, 2022. The filing deadline was March 15, 2022.
The Maine House of Representatives was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified 53 battleground races in the Maine House of Representatives 2022 elections, 32 of which were Democratic-held districts while the other 21 were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
All 151 seats were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Democratic majority increased from 77-63 with three independents and eight vacancies to 82-67 with two independents.
At the time of the 2022 elections, Maine had had a trifecta since the Democratic Party took control of the governorship and state Senate in 2018. If the Republican Party flipped seven or more seats, then the Democratic Party would have lost its trifecta. If the Democratic Party lost no more than six seats and maintained control of the state senate and the governorship, they would have kept their trifecta. This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.
Party control
| Maine House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 77 | 82 | |
| Republican Party | 63 | 67 | |
| Independent | 2 | 1 | |
| Independent for Maine Party | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacancy | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 151 | 151 | |
Candidates
General
Democratic
RepublicanPrimary
2022 battleground chamber
The Maine House of Representatives was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.
What was at stake?
- The Republican Party needed to gain seven or more seats to take control of the chamber. The Democratic Party needed to lose six or fewer seats to maintain control.
- The Republican Party flipping the state House would have broken the Democratic Party's trifecta. The Democratic Party would have needed to keep the state House, state Senate, and the governorship to maintain their trifecta.
Why was it a battleground?
- Seats needed to flip: The Republican Party needed to flip seven seats (5% of seats up) in order to win control of the chamber.
- Seats decided by less than 10% in the last election: Thirty-nine of the seats up for election (26% of seats up) in 2022 were decided by margins of 10 percentage points or smaller the last time they were up.
- More seats flipped in the last election than needed to flip in 2022: The number of seats that flipped the last time they were up for election (14, or 9% of seats up) is larger than the number that would need to flip in 2022 in order to change control of the chamber (seven, or 5% of seats up).
- 2020 battleground chamber: The Maine House of Representatives was a battleground chamber in 2020. That year, the Republican Party gained 12 seats while the Democratic Party lost seven seats and maintained control of the chamber. Read more about the 2020 elections here.
- Other 2022 battleground elections: The 2022 election for governor was also a battleground race.
Battleground races
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. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
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- District 151
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
Five incumbents lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
One incumbent lost in the June 14 primaries.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Martin Jr. |  Republican |
House District 92 |
Retiring incumbents
Sixty-two incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Maine. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in in 2022. Information below was calculated on , and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Seventy-one state legislative districts up for election this year in Maine were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That equals 38% of the 186 districts in the Maine State Legislature.
Since no incumbents were present, newcomers to the legislature were guaranteed to win open districts. This was the most guaranteed newcomers to the Maine State Legislature since 2014.
Maine is one of 15 states that use term limits for state legislators. In both the Senate and House, legislators can serve four two-year terms for a total of eight years. In 2022, 46 legislators were term-limited: 10 in the Senate and 36 in the House. The remaining 25 open districts were caused by legislators leaving office for some other reason.
Overall, 384 major party candidates filed: 183 Democrats and 201 Republicans. That equals 2.1 candidates per district, the same as in 2020 and 2018.
In 2022, there were 33 contested primaries—12 Democratic primaries and 21 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was down from 25 in 2020, a 52% decrease. For Republicans, the number increased 133% from nine in 2020 to 21 in 2022.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Maine House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Maine House of Representatives elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 151 | 57 (38 percent) | 94 (62 percent) |
| 2020 | 151 | 31 (21 percent) | 120 (79 percent) |
| 2018 | 151 | 48 (32 percent) | 103 (68 percent) |
| 2016 | 151 | 30 (20 percent) | 121 (80 percent) |
| 2014 | 151 | 49 (32 percent) | 102 (68 percent) |
| 2012 | 151 | 52 (34 percent) | 99 (66 percent) |
| 2010 | 151 | 34 (23 percent) | 117 (77 percent) |
Incumbents running in new districts
When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.
Maine rearranged its House districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. As a result, every incumbent seeking re-election at the time of the primary filed to run in new districts different from those they represented before the election.
Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 151 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.
Process to become a candidate
For party candidates
See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 1, Article 4 of the Maine Revised Statutes
Political party candidates must petition for placement on the primary election ballot. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought.[3][4]
| Signature requirements for party candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Required signatures |
| Governor, United States Senator | At least 2,000 signatures, but no more than 2,500 |
| United States Representative | At least 1,000 signatures, but no more than 1,250 |
| State Senator | At least 100 signatures, but no more than 150 |
| State Representative | At least 25 signatures, but no more than 40 |
Before petitions can be submitted to the Maine Secretary of State, signatures must be verified by the registrar of voters or municipal clerk in the municipality where the signatures were collected. For more information regarding specific petition requirements, see below.[3][4]
A political party candidate must also submit a "Consent of Candidate" form. The form must contain a statement signed by the candidate indicating that he or she will accept the nomination of the primary election. The form must also include the candidate's address, party designation, and a statement indicating that the candidate meets the qualifications for the office being sought. The candidate must sign the form before a notary public. The "Consent of Candidate" form must be filed along with the candidate's petition paperwork.[5][4]
The filing deadline is set by state statutes as 5 p.m. on March 15 in the year of the election. If March 15 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day.[3]
For independent candidates
See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 2 of the Maine Revised Statutes
Independent candidates must petition for placement on the general election ballot. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought.[6]
| Signature requirements for independent candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Required signatures |
| Governor, United States Senator | At least 4,000 signatures, but no more than 5,000 |
| United States Representative | At least 2,000 signatures, but no more than 2,500 |
| State Senator | At least 200 signatures, but no more than 300 |
| State Representative | At least 50 signatures, but no more than 80 |
Before petitions can be submitted to the Maine Secretary of State, signatures must be verified by the registrar of voters or municipal clerk in the municipality where the signatures were collected. Petitions for independent candidates must be submitted for verification by 5 p.m. on May 25 (this date is set by state statutes; in the event that May 25 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day). For more information regarding specific petition requirements, see below.[6][4]
An independent candidate must also file a "Non-party Candidate's Consent" form. The form must include the candidate's address, a declaration that the candidate has not been enrolled in a qualified political party after March 1 of the election year, and a statement indicating that the candidate meets the qualifications for the office being sought. The candidate must sign the form before a notary public. The "Non-party Candidate's Consent" form must be filed along with the candidate's petition paperwork.[7][4]
The filing deadline is set by statute as 5 p.m. on June 1 of the election year. If June 1 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day.[6]
For write-in candidates
See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 9, Subchapter 3, Article 1, Section 722-A of the Maine Revised Statutes
In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate for either the primary or general election must file a declaration of write-in candidacy with the Maine Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on the 70th day prior to the election.[8]
Qualifications
Section 4 of Part 1 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "Qualifications; residency requirement. No person shall be a member of the House of Representatives, unless the person shall, at the commencement of the period for which the person is elected, have been 5 years a citizen of the United States, have arrived at the age of 21 years, have been a resident in this State one year; and for the 3 months next preceding the time of this person's election shall have been, and, during the period for which elected, shall continue to be a resident in the district which that person represents."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,245.12 for the first regular session. $11,668.32 for the second regular session. | $70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals. |
When sworn in
Maine legislators assume office the day before the first Wednesday of December following the general election.[10][11]
Maine political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
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 |
Presidential politics in Maine
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election results in Maine, 2020
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Joe Biden in round 1 .
|
Total votes: 819,461 |
|||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Maine, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
47.8% | 357,735 | 3 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence | 44.9% | 335,593 | 1 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 5.1% | 38,105 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1.9% | 14,251 | 0 | |
| - | Other/Write-in | 0.3% | 2,243 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 747,927 | 4 | |||
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission | |||||
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 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Maine
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).[12]
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).
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On September 29, 2021, Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed legislation enacting redrawn state legislative district boundaries. The Maine Apportionment Commission approved final maps and submitted them to the legislature on September 27, 2021. The Maine Senate unanimously approved both maps by a vote of 31-0. The Maine House of Representatives approved new district boundaries for the state Senate by a vote of 129-0 and new state House district boundaries by a vote of 119-10.[13] These maps took effect for Maine’s 2022 legislative elections.
Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Maine State House Districts
until December 6, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Maine State House Districts
starting December 7, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Maine | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Article 4, Section 335," accessed March 14, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Maine Secretary of State, "State of Maine 2024 Candidate's Guide to Ballot Access," accessed March 14, 2025
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 1, Article 4, Section 336," accessed March 14, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 2, Section 354," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 2, Section 355," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Maine Revised Statutes, "Title 21-A, Chapter 9, Subchapter 3, Article 1, Section 722-A," accessed March 14, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Maine Constitution, "Article IV. Part First., Section 2," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Maine Constitution, "Article IV. Part Second., Section 5," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Maine.gov, "Ranked-choice Voting (RCV)," accessed February 24, 2022
- ↑ Bangor Daily News, "Thousands of Mainers to shift to new congressional districts," September 29, 2021
