Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree secured the Democratic nomination for governor in a ranked-choice runoff and will face Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett in November’s general election.
The results, announced overnight in Augusta, come more than a week after former health official Dr. Nirav Shah and Pingree emerged as the top two finishers in the Democratic primary, triggering a ranked-choice count after neither candidate won a majority of the vote.
“I’m grateful, I’m ready and there is no time to waste,” Pingree, 49, said in an emailed statement. “Now the real work begins.” Winning in November “requires a diverse coalition of Mainers in this state pulling together,” the North Haven resident added.
Charles, 65, is a Kennebec County native and attorney who leads a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm. Bennett, 63, is a state senator who served as Senate president from 2001-02. Bennett was the Republican nominee for Maine’s second Congressional district in 1994 and a candidate in the 2012 U.S. Senate race.
U.S. House races
In the U.S. House race for Maine’s second Congressional district, state Auditor Matthew Dunlap won the Democratic runoff, overtaking primary frontrunner state Sen. Joe Baldacci.
Dunlap will face former Gov. Paul LePage in November’s general election.
Former Maine lawmaker Ronald Russell won the Republican primary for Maine’s first Congressional district earlier this month with 53.4% of the vote, avoiding a runoff and advancing to a November matchup against incumbent U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, Maine and the mother of Hannah Pingree.
November’s other high-profile race pits Democrat Graham Platner against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a longtime incumbent who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee. Collins is running for a sixth term.
Maine state and municipal offices, as well as many banks and credit unions, are closed today for the Juneteenth holiday.
