2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Maine, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The election was conducted with ranked choice voting, as per the result of a referendum passed in 2016.

Party primaries were initially scheduled to take place on June 9, 2020. They were rescheduled by Gov. Janet Mills to July 14, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mills' executive order also expanded the ability to request absentee ballots, which may now be done up to and on election day. Parties that qualified to participate in the 2020 primary election were the Democratic Party, the Green Independent Party, and the Republican Party. Two candidates in District 1 and four candidates in District 2 filed petitions with the secretary of state by March 16, 2020. Non-party candidates could also file petitions to be included on the ballot by June 1, 2020.

Overview DistrictDemocraticRepublicanOthersTotalResult Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % 271,004 62.15% 165,008 37.84% 15 0.00% 436,027 100.0% Democratic hold 197,974 53.04% 175,228 46.95% 33 0.01% 373,235 100.0% Democratic holdTotal 468,978 57.95% 340,236 42.04% 48 0.01% 809,262 100.0%

District 1

The 1st district encompasses the southern coastal area of the state, taking in Portland, Augusta, Brunswick and Saco. The incumbent was Democrat Chellie Pingree, who was re-elected with 58.8% of the vote in 2018.

Democratic primary Candidates Declared Chellie Pingree, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary Candidates Declared Jay Allen, physician

Primary results

General election Debate + 2022 Maine's 1st congressional district debate Date Host Moderator Link Democratic RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Chellie Pingree Jay Allen1 Oct. 21, 2020 Maine PublicBroadcasting Network Jennifer RooksYouTube

Predictions SourceRankingAs of The Cook Political Report October 2, 2020 Inside Elections October 1, 2020 Sabato's Crystal Ball October 1, 2020PoliticoSeptember 8, 2020Daily Kos September 25, 2020RCPJune 9, 2020NiskanenJuly 26, 2020

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error ChelliePingree (D) JayAllen (R) Other/UndecidedColby CollegeColby CollegeOctober 21–25, 2020426 (LV) –58%31%11%Pan Atlantic ResearchPan Atlantic ResearchOctober 2–6, 2020300 (LV) ± 6.4% 54%35%11%Critical InsightsCritical InsightsSeptember 25 – October 4, 2020232 (LV) – 58%24%18%Critical InsightsCritical Insights July 28 – August 10, 2020 233 (LV) – 50% 22% 27%

Results

District 2

The 2nd district covers most of northern rural Maine, including the cities of Lewiston, Bangor, Auburn and Presque Isle. The incumbent was Democrat Jared Golden, who flipped the district and was elected with 50.6% of the vote in 2018, making him the first member of Congress to be elected by ranked choice voting. Donald Trump won the district in the concurrent presidential election.

Democratic primary Candidates Declared Jared Golden, incumbent U.S. representative

Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary On the ballot Adrienne Bennett, press secretary for former governor Paul LePage Eric Brakey, former state senator and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 Dale Crafts, former state representative

Declined Travis Mills, retired U.S. Army staff sergeant Bruce Poliquin, former U.S. representative

Endorsements

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error AdrienneBennett EricBrakey DaleCrafts UndecidedSurveyUSASurveyUSAJune 30 – July 6, 2020604 (LV)± 4.1%25%19%37%19%31% –45%34%We Ask AmericaWe Ask AmericaJune 16–17, 2020400 (LV)± 4.9%28%22%20%29%

Debate + 2020 Maine's 2nd congressional district republican primary debate Date Host Moderator Link Republican Republican RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Adrienne Bennett Eric Brakey Dale Crafts1 Jul. 9, 2020 Maine Public Television Jennifer RooksYouTube

Primary results Both Bennett and Brakey conceded the race to Crafts the day after the primary. As Crafts did not get 50% of the vote, Maine's ranked choice system calls for the second choices of the last place candidate's votes to be distributed to the other candidates, whether or not the candidates concede the race. Crafts criticized this as a waste of taxpayer dollars, and both Bennett and Brakey said they would refuse to accept the results of the ranked choice tabulation. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said whether the concessions could stop the tabulation was "a question for lawyers", but that the tabulation would begin on July 18. Crafts called on the Maine Legislature to examine this issue. Dunlap's office, while not responding directly to Crafts' call to action on the Legislature, did agree with Crafts that Dunlap was performing his duty under the law.

+Republican primary resultsPartyCandidateRound 1Round 2Votes%TransferVotes% (gross)% (net)RepublicanDale Crafts23,66545.0% +3,55128,01953.3%58.0%RepublicanAdrienne Bennett16,92032.2% +3,37520,29538.6%42.0%RepublicanEric Brakey11,97622.8% -11,976Eliminated Total active votes52,56148,314100.0% Exhausted ballots +3,25241908.0% Total votes52,561100.0%52,561100.0% % (gross) = percent of all valid votes cast (without eliminating the exhausted votes)

% (net) = percent of votes cast after eliminating the exhausted votes

General election Debate + 2020 Maine's 1st congressional district debate Date Host Moderator Link Democratic RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Not invited Invited Withdrawn Jared Golden Dale Crafts1 Oct. 25, 2020 Maine Public Television Jennifer RooksPBS

Predictions SourceRankingAs of The Cook Political Report October 2, 2020 Inside Elections October 16, 2020 Sabato's Crystal BallOctober 1, 2020PoliticoOctober 11, 2020Daily KosOctober 29, 2020RCPJune 9, 2020NiskanenJuly 26, 2020

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JaredGolden (D) DaleCrafts (R) Other/UndecidedChange ResearchChange ResearchOctober 29 – November 2, 2020475 (LV)± 4.6%53%44%3%Colby CollegeOctober 21–25, 2020453 (LV) –56%31%13%Pan Atlantic ResearchOctober 2–6, 2020300 (LV) ± 6.4% 60%33%7%Critical InsightsSeptember 25 – October 4, 2020234 (LV) – 52%34%14%Colby CollegeColby CollegeSeptember 17–23, 2020275 (LV) –56%33%11%Siena College/NYT UpshotSiena College/NYT UpshotSeptember 11–16, 2020440 (LV) –56%37%6%Fabrizio Ward/Hart Research AssociatesFabrizio Ward/Hart Research AssociatesAugust 30 – September 5, 2020367 (LV) –53%40% 7%Wick Surveys (D)Wick Surveys (D) August 25–28, 2020 400 (LV) ± 4.9%50% 44% 6%Critical Insights July 28 – August 10, 2020 218 (LV) – 46% 36% 18%Colby College/SocialSphereColby College/SocialSphere July 18–24, 2020 888 (LV) ± 3.9% 45% 33% 22%

Jared Golden vs. generic Republican Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JaredGolden (D) GenericRepublican UndecidedColby College/SocialSphereColby College/SocialSphere February 10–13, 2020 493 (LV) – 43% 29% 28%

Results

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine

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