Former Republican Governor Secures Victory For Battleground House Seat

Maine House candidate Paul LePage (@MainePaulLePage) (R) declares victory, although the official results remains undecided: "I will work with anyone and everyone that wants to put Maine first." pic.twitter.com/sDYZsm6Kc6

— CSPAN (@cspan) November 4, 2026

Click to expand...

The seat, which was open because of the retirement of incumbent Rep. Jared Golden (D), ends a Democratic grip on a deep-red district carried twice by President Donald Trump.

Dunlap’s campaign said the race was headed to a ranked-choice count but that it did not expect the process to change the outcome.

“This isn’t the result we were hoping for, and I’m disappointed that we came short,” the candidate said in a statement. “Congratulations to Paul LePage, I wish him the best.”

LePage adviser Brent Littlefield said blank ballots and write-ins could trigger the statutory ranked-choice process but that the Republican had a decisive advantage of more than 4,400 votes.

“It is very clear from our campaign team’s work yesterday talking one-on-one with many local town clerks and the publicly reported numbers that Paul LePage is the Congressman-Elect,” Littlefield said in a statement.

Dunlap, Maine’s state auditor and a former secretary of state, originally entered the race to challenge Golden from the left, accusing him of voting too often with Republicans. But the incumbent instead announced his retirement, citing increasing political incivility and the toll of public service on his family.

Click to expand...

Four times, the people of Maine’s 2nd District chose me to represent them in Congress. I know what an incredible honor it is to earn their trust. For their faith, I will always be thankful.

I also know a thing or two about winning in tough circumstances. So, I know you have to…

— Congressman Jared Golden (@RepGolden) November 5, 2026

Click to expand...

The transportation of paper ballots and thumb drives by law enforcement officers, the input of data by state elections staff, and the ranked-choice voting tabulation process, which usually takes about a week, is scheduled to begin Monday, Nov. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Maine Department of Public Safety Headquarters in Augusta.

“The first step in the process will to be to verify the vote totals from every municipality to ensure accuracy,” Secretary Bellows said in a statement. “Once the election night totals are verified, assuming neither candidate received a majority of the votes, which is what we are observing now, we will proceed to the ranked choice voting tabulation.”

“Paul LePage is the Congressman-elect. Paul’s vote margin is very large,” LePage campaign senior advisor Brent Littlefield said in a written statment. “Paul LePage looks forward to working for all of the people in Maine’s 2nd District. He will work with anyone, regardless of party, to put Maine first.”

LePage himself declared victory on Wednesday, when he was ahead by around 4,000 votes.

Amidst a “blue wave” that is projected to see Democrats gain 40 to 50 seats in the House, LePage is on track to be the only Republican candidate in the nation to flip a Democratic seat not subject to redistricting into the Republican column. (Republicans flipped two seats that were redistricted, Texas CD-32 and Tennessee CD-9).

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District was one of only 13 to be won in 2024 by both President Donald Trump and a Democratic Congressman. Incumbent Jared Golden, who chose to retire after four terms, narrowly won three of his races through ranked-choice runoffs.

Click to expand...