Who's In the Race

Maine's governor's race is an open seat in 2026, with Democrat Hannah Pingree facing Republican Bobby Charles in the Nov. 3 general election. Incumbent Janet Mills, a Democrat, is not running for reelection. ​

Both parties held their primaries on June 9. Pingree won the Democratic primary on June 9 with 111,750 votes. Charles also won the Republican primary, beating a field that included Ben Midgley.

Endorsements

Pingree has assembled a deep bench of Maine's current Democratic leadership behind her candidacy. Outgoing governor Janet Mills, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows have all endorsed Pingree. Jeanne Lambrew, an executive branch official, has endorsed Pingree.

Charles and independent Rick Bennett have each drawn support from prominent Republicans outside Maine. Charles has won endorsements from Chris Christie and Chris Sununu. Bennett has been endorsed by former Maine senator William Cohen, a Republican.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Polling

Every major race-rating service puts Pingree in a strong position heading into November. Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Democratic, updated Oct. 28, and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Likely Democratic, also updated Oct. 28. Inside Elections rated it Solid Democratic, updated Oct. 23, and the consensus rating is Likely Democratic, updated Oct. 23.

A Legis1 polling average through Nov. 1 showed Pingree leading Charles 50 percent to 40 percent, a margin of about 10 points. A double-digit lead this close to Election Day is a significant cushion, though the presence of independent Bennett means some portion of the electorate remains outside the two-party contest.

Previous Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Maine backed Democrat Kamala D. Harris with 59 percent of the vote, compared to 38 percent for Republican Donald J. Trump. Harris's roughly 21-point margin over Trump in Maine's 2024 presidential race was wider than Mills's 13-point margin over LePage in the 2022 governor's race.

In the last governor's race, in 2022, Mills defeated Republican Paul LePage by nearly 90,000 votes, 376,934 to 287,304, capturing 56 percent of the vote. That result marked the second consecutive defeat for LePage, who had previously served two terms as governor.

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