Governor
Maine. Election Day was Nov. 3, 2026. Three candidates are on the official list.
Who is running
Rick BennettIndependentGovernor- On file
- Official ballot listing
- Robert B. CharlesRGovernor
- On file
- Official ballot listing
Hannah M. PingreeDGovernor- On file
- Official ballot listing
Candidate list published by Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions (the last official copy we checked before the Nov. 3, 2026, election), as of Oct 15, 2026. Official list
Names and parties are copied exactly from the official list. Blue marks Democrats, red marks Republicans, and gray marks every other party or none; each is also labeled in words.
Worth knowing
- The governor's office last changed party in 2019, when Janet Mills (Democratic) took office, according to the National Governors Association. Source: National Governors Association
- In the 2024 presidential race, the Democratic ticket carried Maine by 6.8 points. The last time the state backed a different party than in the presidential race before was 1992. Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976 to 2024
- Three candidates are on the official list for this race. Source: Official list from Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions
Each fact is worked out from the official records linked beside it. None is a prediction or a rating.
Past results
- Democratic
- Republican
- Other parties
- No party printed
Each span runs from its first year up to, but not including, its last year. A span with no label has no room for one; its group is in the key and the table.
Data table: Party of Maine's governors since 1951
| Band | Group | From | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Frederick George Payne (Republican) | 1951 | 1952 |
| Governor | Burton Melvin Cross (Republican) | 1953 | 1955 |
| Governor | Edmund Sixtus Muskie (Democratic) | 1955 | 1959 |
| Governor | Clinton Amos Clauson (Democratic) | 1959 | 1960 |
| Governor | John Hathaway Reed (Republican) | 1959 | 1967 |
| Governor | Robert N. Haskell (Republican) | 1959 | 1960 |
| Governor | Kenneth Merwin Curtis (Democratic) | 1967 | 1975 |
| Governor | James Bernard Longley (Independent) | 1975 | 1979 |
| Governor | Joseph Edward Brennan (Democratic) | 1979 | 1987 |
| Governor | John Rettie McKernan (Republican) | 1987 | 1995 |
| Governor | Angus S. King (Independent) | 1995 | 2003 |
| Governor | John E. Baldacci (Democratic) | 2003 | 2011 |
| Governor | Paul LePage (Republican) | 2011 | 2019 |
| Governor | Janet Mills (Democratic) | 2019 | 2023 |
| Governor | Janet Mills (Democratic) | 2023 | 2027 |
Source: National Governors Association (NGA), Former Governors and Governors pages. As of the dates NGA prints.
- Democratic ticket
- Republican ticket
Data table: How Maine voted for president, 1976 to 2024
| Year | Democratic ticket | Republican ticket |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 48.09% | 48.93% |
| 1980 | 42.25% | 45.61% |
| 1984 | 38.78% | 60.83% |
| 1988 | 43.88% | 55.34% |
| 1992 | 38.77% | 30.39% |
| 1996 | 51.62% | 30.76% |
| 2000 | 49.09% | 43.97% |
| 2004 | 53.57% | 44.58% |
| 2008 | 57.71% | 40.38% |
| 2012 | 55.37% | 40.33% |
| 2016 | 46.35% | 43.48% |
| 2020 | 52.53% | 43.55% |
| 2024 | 51.71% | 44.87% |
Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976 to 2024. As of Nov 2, 2026.
Map
- D = Democratic ticket carried the state
- R = Republican ticket carried the state
- No figure
Each state is one equal square, so a small state is as easy to see as a large one. The group is written on each tile and in the table, not only shown by colour.
Data table: How each state voted for president in 2024, with Maine outlined
| State | Group |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Alaska | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Arizona | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Arkansas | Republican ticket carried the state |
| California | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Colorado | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Connecticut | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Delaware | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| District of Columbia | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Florida | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Georgia | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Hawaii | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Idaho | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Illinois | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Indiana | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Iowa | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Kansas | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Kentucky | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Louisiana | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Maine | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Maryland | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Massachusetts | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Michigan | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Minnesota | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Mississippi | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Missouri | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Montana | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Nebraska | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Nevada | Republican ticket carried the state |
| New Hampshire | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| New Jersey | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| New Mexico | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| New York | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| North Carolina | Republican ticket carried the state |
| North Dakota | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Ohio | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Oklahoma | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Oregon | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Pennsylvania | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Rhode Island | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| South Carolina | Republican ticket carried the state |
| South Dakota | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Tennessee | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Texas | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Utah | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Vermont | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Virginia | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| Washington | Democratic ticket carried the state |
| West Virginia | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Wisconsin | Republican ticket carried the state |
| Wyoming | Republican ticket carried the state |
Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. President 1976 to 2024. As of Nov 2, 2026.
Headlines that name a candidate in this race
- Hannah Pingree taps former Republican and tribal leader to build her Cabinet
- Hannah Pingree wants you to apply to join her governor administration
- Hannah Pingree wins three-way Maine gubernatorial race
- Maine Democrats add seats in the Legislature, giving Hannah Pingree a bigger majority
- Democrat Hannah Pingree wins election for governor in Maine
- BREAKING NEWS: Hannah Pingree is elected Maine governor
- Democrat Hannah Pingree wins race to succeed Janet Mills as Maine governor
- Hannah Pingree is favored in the Maine governor’s race. Now results are coming in.
- Hannah Pingree up big in Maine governor’s race, final NYT/Press Herald/Siena poll shows
- Rick Bennett Proposes Plan to Combat Dark Money | Portland Maine News
Headlines are shown as each outlet published them, with a link to the outlet. A headline appears here only when it names a candidate's full name and the state, or comes from a newsroom in the state. They are the outlets' reporting, not Power & Politics findings.