Pingree Holds Maine for Democrats in Three-Way Race for Governor

The Wire: Democrat Hannah Pingree won Maine’s open governorship Tuesday, defeating Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett with 54.5% of the vote to Charles’ 37.4% and Bennett’s 8.1%, keeping the office in Democratic hands.

Why it counts: Pingree’s win extends Democratic control of the Maine governorship and adds to a night that saw the party flip Congress and win governorships even in deep-red states. Maine was swept up in the same anti-Trump momentum, and voters rejected Charles’ effort to pin rising electricity and living costs on Democratic leadership.

The margin: Pingree took 54.5%, a clear majority in a three-way field, to 37.4% for Charles and 8.1% for Bennett. Because Maine’s governor is elected by plurality, the top vote-getter wins outright regardless, but Pingree cleared 50% on her own. Her win came the same night Democrat Troy Jackson captured Maine’s U.S. Senate seat, giving the party a statewide sweep.

The fine print: The seat was open because Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is term-limited after two terms. Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House who entered the Legislature at 25 and later ran Mills’ policy-innovation office, is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who won reelection the same night. Charles, a lawyer and former Bush-era State Department official, was the Republican nominee. Bennett, a former Maine Republican Party chair who left the GOP in 2025, ran as an independent pitching himself as an alternative to both parties.

The counter: Charles cast a Pingree administration as “Mills 2.0” and blamed Democratic policies for high electricity and daily costs. Bennett sought to run between the parties under the slogan “My jersey says Maine,” though a PAC promoted him to progressive voters in an apparent bid to siphon support from Pingree, a move Bennett called cynical. Both opponents conceded on election night.

The backdrop: Maine has leaned Democratic at the state level in recent years while retaining an independent streak, reflected in Bennett’s bid and the state’s history of electing independent governors. Pingree’s majority showing in a three-way race suggested the national environment outweighed Charles’ cost-of-living message.

Looking ahead: Pingree will be inaugurated on January 6, succeeding Mills and becoming Maine’s first new governor in eight years.