The 2006 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006, to elect the governor of Maine. Incumbent Democratic Governor John Baldacci won a second term, defeating Republican nominee Chandler Woodcock.
In the general election, Baldacci, Woodcock, Green Independent Party candidate Pat LaMarche, and independents Barbara Merrill and Phillip Morris Napier appeared on the ballot.
As of 2026, this is the last time Aroostook, Penobscot and Oxford counties did not vote for the Republican gubernatorial nominee.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John Baldacci, incumbent governor of Maine
- Christopher Miller, internet service provider
Republican primary
Candidates
- Dave Emery, former U.S. representative
- Peter Mills, state senator
- Chandler Woodcock, state senator
Green Independent Party
- Pat LaMarche, businesswoman, nominee for governor in 1998 and nominee for vice president of the United States in 2004
Independents
- Barbara Merrill, state representative
- Phillip Morris Napier, 2002 candidate for governor
- David Jones, real estate executive
- John Michael, former state representative, 2002 candidate for governor
General election
Results
Results by county
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Cumberland (largest municipality: Portland)
- Knox (largest municipality: Rockland)
- Lincoln (largest city: Waldoboro)
- Sagadahoc (largest town:Bath)
- York (largest town:Biddeford)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Franklin (largest town: Farmington)
- Piscataquis (largest municipality: Dover-Foxcroft)
- Somerset (largest town: Skowhegan)
- Washington (largest city: Calais)
Analysis
Despite the divided field, Baldacci still finished nearly eight points ahead of his nearest challenger, Woodcock. Merrill took an impressive 21% of the vote, and carried the municipalities of Glenwood Plantation, Hope, Milton, Seboeis Plantation, Stow, The Forks, and Union. Additionally, the municipalities of Carroll Plantation, Dennysville, Wade, and Westmanland finished as exact ties between Baldacci and Woodcock, while the municipality of Highland Plantation finished as an exact tie between Baldacci and LaMarche, the municipality of Webster Plantation finished as an exact tie between Baldacci and Merrill, and the municipality of Nashville Plantation finished as an exact tie between Woodcock and Merrill.
Despite LaMarche getting nearly 10% of the vote and slightly improving on Jonathan Carter's vote percentage and vote total four years earlier, both of which were all-time highs for the Maine Green Independent Party, the 2006 election remains the most recent time the Greens ran a candidate for governor.