Election officials announced Thursday that a competitive Maine House race will be decided by ranked-choice voting, as Republican Paul LePage fights to defeat Democrat Matt Dunlap and flip the district red.
The pair’s tight battle to succeed retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) in Maine‘s 2nd Congressional District came to a head Tuesday, with LePage holding a narrow lead of 49.89% to 48.3% over Dunlap. While they were the only names on the ballot, 123 ballots were cast for declared write-in candidates and 6,017 blank votes, according to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’s office.
Since no candidate received more than 50% of the total ballots cast, a ranked-choice runoff will begin Monday morning, Bellows said. Her move comes one day after LePage, who is Maine’s former governor, declared victory in the House race, arguing “there’s no path to victory for my opponent.”
“The first step in the process will to be to verify the vote totals from every municipality to ensure accuracy,” Bellow 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.”
Vice President JD Vance, from right, is greeted by former Governor of Maine Paul LePage and his wife Ann LePage as Vance disembarks Air Force Two at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times via AP, Pool).
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26134593852849.jpg?w=1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26134593852849.jpg?w=1024" alt="Vice President JD Vance, from right, is greeted by former Governor of Maine Paul LePage and his wife Ann LePage as Vance disembarks Air Force Two at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine, on Thursday, May 14, 2026. " class="wp-image-4794203" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26134593852849.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26134593852849.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/AP26134593852849.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Vice President JD Vance, from right, is greeted by former Governor of Maine Paul LePage and his wife Ann LePage as Vance disembarks Air Force Two at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times via AP, Pool).
This is the fourth time in nine years that the 2nd District has required a ranked-choice runoff. The development is notable as the GOP is fighting to hold on to every last chance to increase its minority in the lower chamber, after losing its House majority in the blue wave during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
As of Thursday, Democrats have flipped over 30 House seats, including in Kentucky, New Jersey, and North Carolina. That means they will hold at least 240 House seats in the next term, far past the 218 needed for majority rule.
The results in dozens of races, including LePage’s, have still not been called as tabulation continues.
GOLDEN RULES OUT REPLACING PLATNER ON BALLOT AMID SCANDALS
In Maine, races go to a ranked-choice runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of votes on Election Day. That calculation is based on the total number of ballots cast, including blanks and write-ins.
The outcome of LePage’s race should be known by Nov. 13 if the process aligns with historical precedent, according to Maine Morning Star.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
