Maine counts ranked choice ballots to determine nominees for governor and a US House race

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine began counting ranked choice ballots on Friday to determine nominees for its open governor’s office and a pivotal race for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Results are expected sometime next week, the secretary of state’s office said.

Maine and Alaska use ranked choice voting for some statewide elections. Voters in ranked choice elections are allowed to rank the candidates on their ballot in order of preference.

Under that scenario, if no candidate breaks 50% of the popular vote, the bottom finisher is eliminated, and voters’ second choices come into play. The tabulations continue until a candidate achieves a majority of the total votes.

No candidates exceeded 50% in Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries for governor or the Democratic primary for the 2nd Congressional District. The Maine Secretary of State Department said Friday that the counting the ballots would begin that afternoon and would be open to the public and available on the secretary of state’s YouTube page.

A busy governor’s race

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has served since 2018, is termed out of office, and that created a wide-open field for both parties. Democrats had five candidates actively campaigning in the June 9 primary and the Republicans had seven. The Democratic race was especially close, with the top four candidates within a few percentage points of each other.

Democrats chose between Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson; former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree; energy executive Angus King III; and former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nirav Shah.

Bellows, whose office is running the ranked counting, “has stepped aside from this part of the process and has delegated to her staff,” said Jana Spaulding, the deputy secretary of the office.

Republicans chose between former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles; healthcare executive Jonathan Bush; former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason; former Paris, Maine, selectman Robert Wessels; and businessmen Owen McCarthy, David Jones and Ben Midgley.

Mills ran in the primary for U.S. Senate in Maine this year, but suspended her campaign in April. That primary was won by oyster farmer Graham Platne r, who will run against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Key House race

In the 2nd Congressional District, former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, former U.S. Senate candidate Jordan Wood and social worker Paige Loud were on the ballot for the Democrats.

The winner faces Republican former Gov. Paul LePage, an ally of President Donald Trump who was unopposed in the Republican primary. LePage served as governor from 2010 to 2018, during which time he fashioned himself as a vocal critic of liberalism and a staunch defender of Trump.

The 2nd District seat has no incumbent in the November election because Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who has held the seat since 2018, is stepping down.

The district has consistently voted for Trump but also elected Golden four times.