VoteHub, Press Herald Map Maine 2026 Primary Results After 8 p.m. Poll Closing

Q: In a key battleground district, who will win the crowded primary to face a former governor this fall?

State Sen. Joe Baldacci appears to be the leading contender in Maine’s crowded Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District, the key battleground race to decide who will face former Gov. Paul LePage this fall. The available reporting and polling point to Baldacci as the narrow front-runner rather than a confirmed winner on Election Day night. A recent SurveyUSA poll showed Baldacci at 27% in first-choice support, ahead of Matt Dunlap, Jordan Wood and Paige Loud. Because Maine uses ranked-choice voting in federal primaries, the race may not be settled immediately if no candidate clears 50% in the first round. That same poll suggested Baldacci would benefit from later-round vote transfers and ultimately win the ranked-choice count with 56%, defeating Wood in the final simulated round. He also received backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which viewed him as a strong general-election candidate. Still, the race remained competitive heading into voting, with a sizable share of voters undecided and some rivals showing fundraising and organizational strength. As a result, the best-supported answer is that Baldacci is favored, but the official winner may not be known until ranked-choice tabulation is completed. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will advance to face LePage, who is unopposed on the Republican side, in one of Maine’s most closely watched fall contests.

2 articles · Updated · Press Herald · Jun 9

Town-by-town results for Maine's 2026 Democratic primaries began posting after polls closed at 8 p.m., with VoteHub and the Press Herald publishing live breakdowns.
The latest maps focus on two marquee contests: the U.S. Senate Democratic primary and the U.S. House District 2 Democratic primary.
The results pages draw on Associated Press data and reporting from the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and Lewiston Sun Journal.
The live updates are part of broader Maine election coverage that also includes a voter guide and the Maine Political Report's ongoing alerts.