The 2026 Maine gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Maine. Democrat Hannah Pingree defeated Republican lawyer Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett.
Incumbent Democratic governor Janet Mills was ineligible to seek re-election to a third consecutive term. Although Maine has adopted ranked-choice voting, it is only used for primary elections and federal general elections. Therefore, the primary was conducted with ranked-choice voting, and the general election was conducted with the traditional plurality voting system. Primary elections were held on June 9, 2026.
This was the first Maine gubernatorial election since 1952 where the elected governor was a member of the same political party as the outgoing governor.
Background
Incumbent Democratic governor Janet Mills was re-elected with 55.69% of the vote in 2022 over Republican former governor Paul LePage. She is term-limited and not eligible to run for a third consecutive term.
A sparsely populated state in New England, Maine is one of the most rural states in the nation and is considered to be moderately blue. Both houses of the Maine Legislature were controlled by the Maine Democratic Party in the prior session. A Republican has not received 50% or more of the vote in a gubernatorial election since 1962, when incumbent Republican John H. Reed received 50.08% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, and Hannah Pingree announced an "alliance" on May 22, 2026, in which they would rank each other ahead of their opponents Angus King III and Nirav Shah; Shah was leading in most public polls. Shah received the most first-preference votes, with 26.8%, followed by Pingree with 23.3%, Jackson with 21.0%, Bellows with 20.7%, and King with 8.2%. As a result of finishing last, King was eliminated and his voters' second preferences were redistributed to the remaining four candidates. Pingree was ultimately nominated after four rounds of ranked-choice tabulation, defeating Shah in the final round by a 56%–44% margin.
Following his loss in the gubernatorial primary, Troy Jackson became the Democratic nominee in the 2026 United States Senate election after former nominee Graham Platner withdrew from the race.
Candidates
Nominee
- Hannah Pingree, former director of the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2008–2010) from the 36th district (2002–2010), and daughter of U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree
Eliminated in primary
- Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State (2021–present) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2014
- Troy Jackson, former President of the Maine Senate (2018–2024) and candidate for Maine's 2nd congressional district in 2014
- Angus King III, energy executive and son of U.S. Senator and former governor Angus King
- Nirav Shah, former principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023–2025) and former director of the Maine CDC (2019–2023)
Failed to qualify
- Kenneth Pinet, retired hotel worker
Withdrawn
- Jason Cherry, attorney and independent candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 (ran for state House)
Declined
- Joe Baldacci, state senator (2020–present) and brother of former governor John Baldacci (ran for U.S. House, endorsed Jackson)
- Jared Golden, U.S. representative from Maine's 2nd congressional district (2019–present)
- Dan Kleban, brewer (ran for U.S. Senate)
- Adam Lee, car dealer
Endorsements
Troy Jackson
- Bernie Sanders, Vermont (2007–present) (Independent)
- Ro Khanna, CA-17 (2017–present)
- Shenna Bellows, candidate for governor in 2026, Maine secretary of state (2021–present) (second choice co-endorsement with Pingree)
- Michael E. Carpenter, former attorney general of Maine (1991–1995)
- Joe Baldacci, state senator from the 9th district (2020–present) and 2026 candidate for ME-02
- Andy O'Brien, former state representative from the 44th district (2008–2012)
- Hannah Pingree, candidate for governor in 2026, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2008–2010) (second choice co-endorsement with Bellows)
- Mark Dion, mayor of Portland (2023–present)
- Graham Platner, Sullivan harbor master, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026 (first choice)
- American Postal Workers Union Local 536
- Professional Firefighters of Maine
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Maine State Council
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters New England Joint Council 10 and Local 340
- Maine AFL-CIO
- Maine Building & Construction Trades Council
- Maine Education Association (second choice)
- Maine State Nurses Association
- MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 (first choice)
- Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council
- Maine Democratic Socialists of America
- Our Revolution
- Sierra Club of Maine (co-endorsement with Bellows and Pingree)
Angus King III
- Angus King, Maine (2013–present) (Independent; candidate's father)
Hannah Pingree
- Jeanne Lambrew, former deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform (2009–2011) and commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (2019–2024)
- Shenna Bellows, candidate for governor in 2026, Maine secretary of state (2021–present) (second choice co-endorsement with Jackson)
- Aaron Frey, Maine attorney general (2019–present)
- Janet Mills, governor of Maine (2019–present)
- Abigail Spanberger, governor of Virginia (2026–present)
- Lynn Bromley, former state senator from the 7th district (2000–2008)
- Mark Eves, former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2012–2016) from the 6th district (2008–2016)
- Ryan Fecteau, speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2020–2022, 2024–present) from the 132nd district (2014–2022, 2024–present)
- Drew Gattine, state representative from the 34th district (2012–2020) and 126th district (2022–present)
- Brian Hubbell, former state representative from the 135th district (2012–2020)
- Troy Jackson, candidate for governor in 2026, former President of the Maine Senate (2018–2024) (second choice co-endorsement with Bellows)
- Matt Moonen, majority leader of the Maine House of Representatives (2018–2020, 2024–present) from the 17th district (2022–present) and 38th district (2012–2020)
- Linda Sanborn, former state senator (2018–2020)
- Eloise Vitelli, former majority leader of the Maine Senate (2021–2024) from the 24th district (2013–2014, 2016–2024)
- Denise Tepler, state senator for the 24th district (2024–present) (co-endorsement with Bellows)
- Stephen King, author
- Graham Platner, Sullivan harbor master, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026 (second choice co-endorsement with Bellows)
- Maine Conservation Voters
- Sierra Club of Maine (co-endorsement with Bellows and Jackson)
- Vote Mama
Fundraising
Italics indicates a withdrawn or disqualified candidate
Results
The Maine gubernatorial election uses instant-runoff voting as its algorithm: in each round, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes among the remaining candidates is eliminated, and each ballot which was formerly voting for that candidate is transferred to its new first preference. This necessarily results in a number of rounds equal to 1 less than the number of candidates.
Republican primary
All Republican candidates said that they opposed ranked choice voting. Robert Charles was particularly critical of ranked choice voting and encouraged Republican primary voters to rank him across the ballot and not rank other candidates. Charles criticized what he called "back room deals" among other candidates to encourage their supporters to rank another candidate second, claiming other candidates could not be trusted to work to repeal ranked choice voting while encouraging its use. The candidates who endorsed a second choice were Robert Wessels, who endorsed Jonathan Bush as his second choice, Ben Midgley, who endorsed David Jones as his second choice, and David Jones, who endorsed Midgley as his second choice.
Charles would win 37.7% of the vote, with Midgley and Bush finishing with 20.1% and 19.8% respectively, and every other candidate some distance behind them. State senator James Libby, who had suspended his campaign in April but did not formally withdrawn from the race, finished in last. After seven rounds of ranked-choice voting tabulation, Charles was declared the winner.
Candidates
Nominee
- Bobby Charles, lawyer and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State (2003–2005)
Eliminated in primary
- Jonathan Bush, healthcare executive and nephew of former president George H. W. Bush
- Garrett Mason, former majority leader of the Maine Senate and candidate for governor in 2018
- Ben Midgley, former CEO of Crunch Fitness
- David Jones, real estate executive and independent candidate for governor in 2006
- Owen McCarthy, University of Maine System trustee
- Robert Wessels, former Paris selectman
Failed to qualify
- Ken Capron, retired accountant
- David J. Foster
- Randy Lee Wilcox
Withdrawn
- James Libby, state senator and candidate for governor in 2002 (endorsed Bush; remained on ballot)
- Steven Sheppard, rapper
Declined
- Rick Bennett, state senator, former President of the Maine Senate, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2012 (running as an Independent)
- Laurel Libby, state representative from the 90th district (2022–present) and the 64th district (2020–2022)
- Shawn Moody, businessperson, nominee for governor in 2018, independent candidate for governor in 2010 (initially formed exploratory committee)
- Ray Richardson, political analyst and radio host
Endorsements
David Jones
- Ben Midgley, businessman and 2026 candidate for governor (second choice)
Ben Midgley
- David Jones, real estate executive and 2026 candidate for governor (second choice)
Fundraising
Italics indicates a withdrawn or disqualified candidate
Convention vote
On April 25, 2026, the Maine Republican Party announced the results of a straw poll by delegates to the Maine Republican Convention. Robert Charles was declared the winner. Unlike the primary, the straw poll was conducted without ranked-choice voting, and was non-binding.
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Rick Bennett, state senator (1996–2004, 2020–present), Republican nominee for ME-2 in 1994 and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2012
Failed to qualify for ballot
- Ed Crockett, state representative (2018–present)
- John Glowa, retired environmental specialist
- Derek Levasseur, former police officer and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020
- Alexander Murchison, mechanical engineer
Fundraising
Italics indicate a disqualified candidate
General election
Pingree maintained a large polling and fundraising lead for the duration of the campaign, with just a single poll showing her with less than an eight-point lead. She also received the endorsements of several prominent Republicans and independents, including senator Angus King. In September, Charles came under fire from his sister Anita, who criticized his stance on abortion rights and his relationship with former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who in 2016 was convicted for financial crimes related to his alleged abuse of teenage boys. Anita Charles said she would be supporting Pingree. In October, the Charles campaign was fined over $22,000 by the Maine Ethics Commission for campaign donation violations. Charles, whose campaign was considered bellicose in the Republican primary, opted for a more low-key campaign style during the general election, holding an open forum where anyone could ask him questions at the Auburn Mall on the eve of the election.
On election day, Pingree defeated Charles by nearly 18 points, the largest margin of victory for a first-term gubernatorial candidate since Republican Frederick G. Payne defeated Democrat Louis Lausier by 31 points in 1948, and Pingree's 54.4% of the vote is the most a first-term gubernatorial candidate since Payne received 65.6% of the vote in that election. Pingree became the first governor to succeed a governor of the same party since Burton M. Cross, a Republican, who would be elected to succeed Payne in 1952. Pingree's margin of victory was the largest for any Maine governor since Angus King won the 1998 election by nearly 40 points. The 37.4% of the vote Charles received is the worst result for a Republican gubernatorial candidate since Chandler Woodcock received 30.2% in 2006. Bennett's 8.1% of the vote is the best showing for an independent candidate since Eliot Cutler received 8.4% of the vote in 2014.
Despite performing worse in the popular vote than 2022 nominee Paul LePage, Charles did manage to flip Franklin County. It had supported Democrat Janet Mills, who is a native of Franklin County, in 2018 and 2022.
Post-primary endorsements
Hannah Pingree (D)
- Angus King, Maine (2013–present) and former governor of Maine (1995–2003) (Independent)