Maine Primary Results Set Stage for High-Stakes Fall Elections as Ranked-Choice Voting Tabulations Begin

AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine’s 2026 primary elections delivered decisive victories in some races while triggering the state’s ranked-choice voting system in several of the night’s most competitive contests, setting the stage for days of additional ballot tabulations before final nominees are officially declared.

With no candidate surpassing the required 50 percent threshold in both gubernatorial primaries and the Democratic contest for Maine’s open Second Congressional District seat, election officials are now preparing for the state’s ranked-choice voting (RCV) redistribution process.

The marquee race of the night, however, was settled outright.

Platner Wins Democratic Senate Primary

Democratic voters overwhelmingly backed progressive activist, Marine veteran, and oyster farmer Graham Platner in the U.S. Senate primary. Platner secured more than 70 percent of the vote despite a turbulent campaign marked by a series of personal controversies.

Platner defeated David Costello and Governor Janet Mills, who remained on the ballot despite suspending her campaign earlier this spring following fundraising struggles.

On the Republican side, incumbent U.S. Senator Susan Collins ran uncontested and easily secured renomination.

The result sets up one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races this fall, as Collins seeks another term against a Democratic challenger backed by an energized progressive base. Platner received an early endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders during the primary campaign.

Governor’s Race Headed to Ranked-Choice Tabulation

With Governor Janet Mills term-limited, both parties saw crowded gubernatorial fields fail to produce outright winners on the first round of ballots.

Democratic Primary

Former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah emerged with a narrow initial lead in a tightly packed Democratic field.

Approximate first-round results showed:

• Shah: 27 percent
• Hannah Pingree: 23 percent
• Troy Jackson: 21 percent
• Shenna Bellows: 21 percent
• Angus King III: 8 percent

Because no candidate secured a majority, the race now advances to ranked-choice redistribution rounds.

Republican Primary

Former State Department official Bobby Charles captured a commanding lead in the Republican contest but remained below the majority threshold required to avoid additional tabulation rounds.

Approximate first-round totals showed:

• Charles: 38 percent
• Jonathan Bush: 20 percent
• Benjamin Midgley: 20 percent
• Garrett Mason: 11 percent

The Republican race will now proceed into the RCV elimination process.

Congressional Races

First Congressional District

Republican candidate Ron Russell won the GOP nomination in Maine’s First Congressional District with roughly 53 percent of the vote, defeating Joshua Pietrowicz.

Russell will now face Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree in November.

Second Congressional District

The open Second Congressional District race remains one of the most competitive contests in the country following Democratic Congressman Jared Golden’s decision not to seek re-election.

The Democratic primary is now headed to ranked-choice tabulation after no candidate reached a majority in the first round.

Approximate first-choice results showed:

• Joseph Baldacci: 32 percent
• Jordan Wood: 29 percent
• Matthew Dunlap: 29 percent

On the Republican side, former two-term Governor Paul LePage ran unopposed and secured the nomination.

LePage now awaits the outcome of the Democratic ranked-choice count in what is expected to become one of the nation’s premier battleground congressional races.

Ranked-Choice Voting Process Begins

Because no candidate secured more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in several major races, Maine’s ranked-choice voting process is now officially underway.

The system requires election officials to redistribute ballots from eliminated candidates until one remaining candidate surpasses the majority threshold.

Under Maine law, local clerks must now begin transporting physical ballots and secured memory devices from municipalities across the state to Augusta under strict chain-of-custody procedures.

The process begins with the secure transfer of ballots between June 10 and June 12. Once in Augusta, election officials conduct centralized scanning and intake procedures over the following weekend, uploading ballot images into the state’s official tabulation system.

Any ballots from smaller towns that still rely on hand-count systems are scanned into the statewide system during that process.

Once all ballots are reconciled and verified, the Secretary of State’s office will initiate the ranked-choice elimination rounds. The software sequentially removes the lowest-performing candidates and redistributes those voters’ next-ranked choices until a candidate secures a majority of active ballots.

Election officials are expected to announce final certified winners in the affected races between June 16 and June 19.