Maine 2026 Election Results: Pingree Elected Governor, Jackson Unseats Collins in Senate Flip

Maine voted in the 2026 midterm elections on November 3, and the results below are the collective choice of the state's voters. According to the Maine Secretary of State's count and Associated Press race calls, Hannah Pingree was elected governor, and Troy Jackson defeated five-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins to flip the Senate seat from Republican to Democratic. The 1st House District has been called while the 2nd remains uncalled, and there were no statewide ballot questions this year. The full list follows.

Governor and U.S. Senator

Governor: Hannah Pingree (D, a former state House speaker), 378,749 votes, 54.8%, elected. Gov. Janet Mills (D) was barred by the state constitution's consecutive-term limit from running again, so this is a Democratic hold. The AP called the race at 11:29 p.m. ET on November 3.

Governor, other candidates: Robert Charles (R), 256,586 votes, 37.1%; Rick Bennett (independent), 55,510 votes, 8.0%.

U.S. Senator: Troy Jackson (D, a former state Senate president), 367,337 votes, 53.5%, elected — a flip from Republican to Democratic. Called by the AP.

U.S. Senate, other candidates: Susan Collins (R, the five-term incumbent), 319,422 votes, 46.5%; Collins called Jackson early on November 4 to concede. Jackson won a first-round majority, so under Maine's rules no ranked-choice tabulation is needed for this seat. The state's other senator, Angus King (independent), was not up this year; his seat is next contested in 2030.

Other Statewide Offices

There were no other statewide elected offices on the ballot: Maine's secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and auditor are chosen by the legislature rather than by statewide popular vote, so the absence of other statewide contests is a feature of the state's system.

Ballot Questions

There were no statewide ballot questions or constitutional amendments on the 2026 ballot (this section is retained and noted for completeness).

Note: the only statewide citizen initiative that had advanced — a measure on school sports and facilities by birth-certificate sex — was ruled ineligible by the secretary of state for insufficient valid signatures: 67,150 valid signatures against 67,682 required, a shortfall of 532, so it did not appear on this ballot.

U.S. House

Overview: the state has 2 seats, held before the election by Democrats, 2-0.

District 1: Chellie Pingree (D, incumbent, and the mother of governor-elect Hannah Pingree), 246,117 votes, 66.2%, reelected to a tenth term. Her opponent Ronald Russell (R) took 125,671 votes, 33.8%. Called by the AP.

District 2: not yet called. Leader Paul LePage (R, a former governor) has 157,497 votes, 50.3%, to Matthew Dunlap (D, the incumbent state auditor) with 155,719 votes, 49.7% — an election-night margin of 1,778 votes; an earlier snapshot had Dunlap ahead, so the lead has changed hands. The seat is open (incumbent Democrat Jared Golden retired); the AP status is "Too Early to Call," so only the lead is reported and no flip is recorded. Maine began its ranked-choice tabulation on November 9, and the latest count shows LePage leading by about 5,420 votes.

Chinese American / Asian American winners: none. No Chinese American or Asian American winner was found among the District 1 winner or the two District 2 candidates.

State Legislature

State Senate: 35 seats, all up this year. Democrats kept control with no flip; the provisional post-election split is Democrats 22, Republicans 13 (from about 20 Democratic seats before), with exact figures subject to the secretary of state's certification.

State House: 151 seats, all up this year. Democrats kept control and gained seats, with no flip; the exact post-election seat count has no official final figure yet and will be updated after certification.

In sum, Democrats held both chambers before and after the election, and with a Democratic hold in the governor's race Maine keeps a Democratic trifecta.

Counting and Certification

Maine applies ranked-choice voting to federal offices, and a first-round majority winner needs no tabulation. Town clerks must submit official returns within two business days, after which the state certifies the results. Figures here are from the Secretary of State's count and AP calls as of the morning of November 4 (about 90.6% of the expected vote counted); uncalled races are listed with their current leaders only, and final results are subject to official certification. GSM will update this list as the remaining races are called.

Related: 2026 midterm results: all 50 states

Source: Maine Secretary of State

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图片来源：缅因州议会大厦（Augusta），摄影 Albany NY，CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）