The 1994 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1994 to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Republican governor John McKernan was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Independent candidate Angus King won the election.
King defeated Democratic nominee Joseph Brennan, a former governor and congressman, Republican nominee Susan Collins, a regional coordinator of the Small Business Administration and the former Deputy Treasurer of Massachusetts, and Green nominee Jonathan Carter, an environmentalist activist. This was the first election since 1974 in which Maine elected an independent governor. Both King and Collins represented the state's delegation in the United States Senate from 2013 to 2027.
Carter's 6.4% of the vote allowed the Maine Green Independent Party to be recognized as a political party by the state.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Susan Collins, businesswoman and former Deputy Treasurer of Massachusetts
Eliminated in primary
- Mary Adams, tax activist
- Pamela Cahill, state representative
- Judith Foss, state representative
- Sumner Lipman, attorney and state representative
- Charlie Webster, state senator
- Jasper Wyman, leader of Maine Christian Civic League and businessman
- Paul R. Young, professor and state representative
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Joseph E. Brennan, former Governor and former U.S. Representative from the 1st congressional district
Eliminated in primary
- Tom Allen, former Mayor of Portland
- Richard Barringer, former Director of Public Lands in Maine
- Donnell Carroll, state representative
- Robert Woodbury, former president of the University of Southern Maine
Withdrawn
- James Howaniec, former Mayor of Lewiston (ran for U.S. House)
General election
Despite a crowded Democratic primary field, Brennan easily dispatched his challengers in the Democratic primary, winning over 56% of the primary vote. Collins triumphed in an even more crowded GOP field, taking 21% of the vote against seven other candidates. As a moderate, Collins was subjected to attacks from the right wing of the Republican Party, who claimed she was too liberal. She was also criticized for her residency; despite being a Maine native, she had lived and worked in Massachusetts and only returned to Maine shortly before launching her gubernatorial campaign with the support of Senator William Cohen. Her closest opponent had been Sumner Lipman, the preferred candidate of incumbent governor John R. McKernan Jr.
King made heavy use of campaign ads, including running them during the primary season despite not being subjected to a primary as an independent candidate. The state's two largest newspapers split their endorsements, with Brennan receiving the endorsement of the Portland Press Herald and Collins the Bangor Daily News, while the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, a gun group, endorsed King.
Candidates
- Angus King (Independent), lawyer and public television host
- Joseph Brennan (Democratic), former governor and U.S. Representative from the 1st congressional district
- Susan Collins (Republican), businesswoman
- Jonathan Carter (Green), environmentalist and scientist
Results
By county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Independent
- Androscoggin (largest city: Lewiston)
- Cumberland (largest city: Portland)
- Oxford (largest town: Rumford)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Independent
- Franklin (largest town: Farmington)
- Lincoln (largest city: Waldoboro)
- Knox (largest municipality: Rockland)
- Sagadahoc (largest town: Bath)
- Waldo (largest city: Belfast)
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- York (largest town: Biddeford)
Analysis
King would narrowly win over Brennan, with Collins and Carter lagging behind. King would carry much of southern and western Maine — including traditionally Democratic Cumberland and Androscoggin counties — while Brennan would take York County in the extreme south of the state, Kennebec County in Mid-Maine, and Somerset County in western Maine. Collins would win much of northern and eastern Maine. King and Brennan would tie in the municipalities of Chester, Lyman, and Northfield, while King and Collins would tie in Castle Hill, Hersey, Talmadge, and Topsfield, and Brennan and Collins would tie in Merrill.
Aftermath
Collins and Brennan would face off again for William Cohen's Senate seat in 1996, with Collins winning. King would be re-elected in a landslide in 1998. After a decade outside of political office, King would be elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012. King and Collins held Maine's two Senate seats from 2013 until Collins was defeated for re-election in 2026.