Pingree, Charles Advance to Maine Governor Race as Bennett Secures 3-Way Ballot
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 19
Pingree, Charles Advance to Maine Governor Race as Bennett Secures 3-Way Ballot
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 19
Summary
Hannah Pingree and Bobby Charles emerged early Friday from Maine’s ranked-choice primaries, setting a competitive general-election contest to succeed term-limited Gov. Janet Mills.
Ranked-choice tabulation lifted Pingree past former public health official Nirav Shah in the Democratic runoff, while Charles came through a 7-person Republican field as the clear GOP front-runner.
Rick Bennett, a state senator and former Maine GOP chair who left the party last summer, also qualified for the ballot as an independent; the general election will not use ranked-choice voting.
Republicans are betting voter anger over energy prices and property taxes can return the Blaine House after 8 years of Mills, while Pingree offers the strongest continuity with Mills’ administration after serving as a top adviser.