LePage advances as Maine House race awaits ranked-choice count

Paul LePage advanced to the general election in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District as Democrats waited for ranked-choice counting to settle a four-way primary that could decide one of the most consequential House races in the country. NBC News projected the former Republican governor into November’s contest while the Democratic nomination remained unresolved after Tuesday’s vote.

The delay is not procedural trivia in Maine. The state uses ranked-choice voting in all state-level primary elections and in federal general elections for president and U.S. House, a system voters approved in a 2016 referendum. Because no candidate wins outright on first choices alone, the tabulation can reward the contender who assembles the broadest coalition, not just the one with the strongest first-round base.

That matters sharply for Democrats in Maine’s 2nd District, where Joe Baldacci, Matthew Dunlap, Jordan Wood and Paige Loud were competing for the nomination. Ranked-choice counting can elevate a candidate who is built for the primary and also acceptable in a general election, a distinction that looms larger in a district Donald Trump has carried in recent presidential elections. A nominee who piles up strong but narrow support may struggle once ballots are transferred and the race moves toward a majority.

The district’s stakes extend far beyond Maine. Democrats are trying to defend an open seat after Rep. Jared Golden did not seek reelection, and the 2024 race was decided by one of the thinnest margins in the country, with Golden defeating Republican Austin Theriault by about 50.35 percent to 49.65 percent. If Republicans flip the seat, it would add another pressure point in the fight for House control; if Democrats hold it, they preserve a seat in a chamber that remains narrowly divided.

Maine’s 2nd District is also physically vast, covering about 27,548 square miles and roughly 697,280 people, making it the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River. That scale, stretching from Bangor to Presque Isle and across communities such as Lewiston and Auburn, has long forced candidates to campaign like regional coalition-builders rather than local retail politicians.

Maine is one of only two states that uses ranked-choice voting for some statewide elections, alongside Alaska. In a district this large, this competitive and this closely divided, the counting rules can shape not only who wins, but how every campaign is built from the start.