Maine resolves ranked choice primaries, setting up the governor’s race and a key House contest

Maine’s major primaries were resolved early Friday morning after the state tabulated its ranked choice votes: Democrat Hanna Pingree will face off against Republican Bobby Charles in the race for governor, while Democrat Matt Dunlap will advance to the general election in the pivotal 2nd Congressional District race, NBC News projects. Pingree becomes the favorite to secure the governorship this fall in a state that then-Vice President Kamala Harris won by about 7 points in 2024, while Dunlap will face off against Gov. Paul LePage, who had already secured the Republican primary, in one of the top battleground House districts in the country. Now, Pingree will take on Republican Bobby Charles, a former naval intelligence officer and lobbyist who previously helmed the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in President George W. Bush’s administration. He’s leaned on that experience in the federal government to frame himself as tough on crime while attacking “woke policies” coming out of the state. Meanwhile, Dunlap, the state auditor and former secretary of state, won the Democratic primary for Maine’s battleground House seat running as a progressive, embracing “Medicare for All” and leaning on his decades-long political career in the state. Dunlap was in second after first-choice votes were tallied but ended up winning narrowly in the ranked choice tabulation over Joe Baldacci, a state senator and son of a former governor. Baldacci was the establishment Democratic pick and was running with a boost from House Democrats’ campaign arm and the top House Democratic super PAC. Jordan Wood, the one-time chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter, was eliminated during the ranked choice tabulation. Democrats have had a grip on the 2nd District for years, as Rep. Jared Golden repeatedly won tough races against his Republican foes even as President Donald Trump carried the district. Trump won by 9 points there in 2024. But Golden’s retirement makes it one of Republicans’ best chances to flip a seat this fall, and it’s expected to draw significant spending from both parties. LePage, meanwhile, is backed by Trump and has described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular. He’s well known in the state after two terms as governor and a subsequent failed comeback bid in 2022, political experience that makes him formidable. But his critics argue that he’s vulnerable given his history of controversial comments.