2026 Midterms State GuideMaine
Hold on to your lobster rolls and your L.L. Bean boots.
Polls are closed
Polls are closed in Maine, and results aren’t finalized yet.
Ballots are still being counted, close races can take days to call, and no result is official until it’s certified.
A prayer for Maine
Father, all eyes have turned to the northeast. Steady the hearts of Mainers with Your steadfast care, which reaches as far as the east is from the west. Anchor voters so that they seek Your wisdom for “the way life should be.”
Read the whole prayerUpdated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you... the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your lobster rolls and your L.L. Bean boots, and let’s get into it.
Maine at a glance
Maine votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, U.S. Senate and both U.S. House seats.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 13: Last day to register online (by 5 p.m.) or by mail (received by close of business)
- Governor
- 5 candidates
- U.S. Senate
- 8 candidates
- U.S. House
- 2 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- None
What happens next
The counting continues
Election-night numbers are unofficial. Mail, provisional, and military ballots are still being counted, so close races can take days to call.
Officials double-check the count
Local election officials review the ballots and the tallies (the canvass). A very close race can go to a recount.
Maine certifies the results
Results become official once Maine certifies them, usually a few weeks after Election Day.
Winners take office
The new Congress takes office in early January. Governors and other state officials take office on dates set by state law, most of them in January too.
Important dates
- Jun. 9Primaries This date has passed.
- Oct. 5 to Oct. 29In-person absentee (early) voting window (no application or excuse needed) This date has passed.
- Oct. 13Last day to register online (by 5 p.m.) or by mail (received by close of business) This date has passed.
- Oct. 27Voter registration deadline (DMV/state agencies) This date has passed.
- Oct. 29Absentee ballot request deadline This date has passed.
- Nov. 3Election Day, polls open until 8 p.m., same-day registration available. This date has passed.
What’s at stake
Maine’s Senate race has been on the national stage. Democrat Graham Platner won the U.S. Senate primary, but a slew of scandals and allegations emerged, leading to his withdrawal in July. Dems were forced to go back to the drawing board, nominating Troy Jackson as Graham’s replacement to face incumbent Susan Collins. Recent polls show a race within the margin of error, with Jackson ahead in most surveys and Collins ahead in the latest Times/Siena poll; with Senate control on the line, Dems nationally will be watching this nail-biter closely. Voters are anxious about the economy, cost of living, and immigration, with 56% of respondents saying Trump's policies have hurt the economy. 17% said the economy would determine their Congressional vote in November, followed by control of Congress/support for the party (12%) and the candidate's character/competence (10%).
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Maine is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
- Top priorities
Hannah PingreeDemocrat- Lowering housing and energy costs, which she calls the biggest drivers of Maine's affordability crisis
- Making health care, child care and food affordable for working families
- Raising wages and expanding economic opportunity across Maine
- Top priorities
Bobby CharlesRepublican- Cutting crime by dismantling drug cartel networks and expanding addiction recovery and mental health services
- Abolishing the state income tax and cutting regulations that slow economic growth
- Refocusing schools on reading, math and science, with curriculum transparency and educational freedom
- Top priorities
Rick BennettIndependent- Cutting costs for housing, energy, health care and child care, with stricter accountability on state spending
- Making sure every child can read, write and do math by fourth grade
- Ending insider deals and dark money and making state government more transparent
- Randy WilcoxRepublican
Write-in
- John GlowaIndependent
Write-in
- Get to know ’em
Troy JacksonDemocrat - Sigrid Ann OlsonDemocrat
Write-in
- Ashley WebbDemocrat
Write-in
- Joseph SteinbergerFaith in Humanity Party
Write-in
- Brent AndrewsUnaffiliated
Write-in
- Michael TurcotteUnenrolled
Write-in
- Gina OswaldIndependent
Write-in
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s Big Picture
Maine sends 2 representatives to Congress. Democrats currently hold both seats. ME-2, which covers the vast rural northern half of the state, has historically been more competitive and is one of two congressional districts in the country to split its electoral vote in multiple presidential election cycles (2016, 2020, and 2024).
- Open seats
One: ME-2’s Rep. Jared Golden (D) is retiring.
- Competitive Districts
ME-2 is considered a more competitive district, likely but not solidly Republican, by most forecasters, while ME-1 is solidly Democratic. Candidates in both parties filed to run in both districts, so neither is guaranteed to either party.
Also on the ballot
Other races Maine voters will decide.
- State Senate
- State House
- Special state legislative
- Municipal government
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Maine?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
From the newsroom
How TPO has covered Maine this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
- July 10Platner drops the race
Fresh allegations are rocking Maine’s Senate race. Last week, Marine turned oyster farmer turned Democratic candidate Graham Platner confirmed sending sexually explicit texts while married; then Thursday, a report from three past girlfriends described him as “toxic,” physically threatening, unfaithful, and a heavy drinker—which he denies. The controversies threaten Platner’s polling lead over incumbent moderate Republican Susan Collins in Dems’ must-win race.
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s news- June 3Platner scandals
- October 20, 2025Graham Platner faces backlash
A prayer for Maine
Father, all eyes have turned to the northeast. Steady the hearts of Mainers with Your steadfast care, which reaches as far as the east is from the west. Anchor voters so that they seek Your wisdom for “the way life should be.”
Keep candidates from performance, posturing, and contempt. Instead, help them campaign with transparency and integrity. May whoever wins steward the weight of this office well, leading with dignity and discernment.
For the many who will be disappointed by the result, comfort them in their grief and make Yourself known to them in their fear of tomorrow. Open doors for conversations about the good news that Your sovereignty is not suspended on election night, and Your good purposes aren’t undone by any election cycle. Turn all Mainers’ hearts toward love of neighbor, humble service, and gracious speech this midterm season.
Amen.