Maine in June 2026: primaries reshape the fall election
Maine's June primaries gave Hannah Pingree the Democratic nomination for governor, added Rick Bennett to the fall ballot as an independent, and set up a U.S. Senate race between Graham Platner and Sen. Susan Collins, while ranked-choice tabulation took several days.
Maine held its primary elections in June: Hannah Pingree won the Democratic nomination for governor, Rick Bennett will appear on the fall ballot as an independent, and Graham Platner won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, setting up a race against Sen. Susan Collins. Ranked-choice tabulation extended the wait for final results, while state government continued work on housing, energy rates and other policy questions.
2026 primary results
Rick Bennett will appear on the ballot as an independent, setting up a three-way race for Maine governor, the Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
Former Gov. Paul LePage won Maine's 2nd District Republican primary unopposed, WGME reported. (WGME)
Graham Platner won Maine's primary for U.S. Senate, setting up a general-election matchup with Sen. Susan Collins, the BBC reported. (BBC)
Nirav Shah conceded the Democratic primary and endorsed Hannah Pingree, India New England News reported. (INDIA New England News)
Hannah Pingree won the Democratic nomination for Maine governor, KVUE reported. (KVUE)
Sophie Warren secured the Democratic nomination for a Maine Senate seat after a recount, Maine Morning Star reported. (Maine Morning Star)
Ranked-choice count drags on
The Maine Secretary of State's Office denied a claim that a thumb drive containing election results had gone missing, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
Maine election officials said the final ranked-choice tabulation would not run Wednesday, WGME reported. (WGME)
Ranked-choice runoffs in the governor's race and the 2nd District primary were pushed back to Thursday, Maine Public reported. (Maine Public)
Maine's ranked-choice runoff tabulation stretched into Friday morning, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Senate race: Platner vs. Collins
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner met with party leaders in Washington, D.C., WGME reported. (WGME)
Graham Platner unveiled an anti-corruption platform while criticizing Sen. Susan Collins' billionaire donors, Maine Public reported. (Maine Public)
A Times/Press Herald/Siena poll found Graham Platner and Sen. Susan Collins running neck and neck, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Sen. Susan Collins said it makes no sense that President Trump had not signed the housing bill, the Bangor Daily News reported. (Bangor Daily News)
Governor's race takes shape
Republican gubernatorial candidate David Jones demonstrated how he would fill out his own primary ballot, WGME reported. (WGME)
Republican candidates proposed cuts to the Maine state budget, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
Eight Republicans competed for their party's nomination for Maine governor, WGME reported. (WGME)
Bobby Charles said Maine residents want basic common sense, Fox Business reported. (Fox Business)
Bobby Charles voiced concerns about AI data centers while defending his own campaign's use of AI, WGME reported. (WGME)
A Times/Press Herald/Siena poll found Hannah Pingree the heavy favorite in the Maine governor's race, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
State government and policy
The Maine Department of Transportation faces cutting projects to cover a $130 million funding shortfall, WGME reported. (WGME)
State lawmakers called on a foreign company to pay Maine workers, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
A judge upheld a decision blocking a transgender-related referendum from Maine's fall ballot, Maine Public reported. (Maine Public)
A campaign to place a universal healthcare question on Maine's 2027 ballot gained momentum, Maine Morning Star reported. (Maine Morning Star)
A Republican-led group petitioned the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to adopt tougher MaineCare oversight rules, Maine Morning Star reported. (Maine Morning Star)
Maine state workers said they were ready to settle their contract dispute with the state, Spectrum News reported. (Spectrum News)
Energy, housing and gaming
A proposed data center project at a former Jay paper mill was put on hold after its developer backed out, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
Portland approved a housing-first project for the former Tortilla Flat site, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
New housing permit data showed Maine is meeting its annual housing production goals, Maine Morning Star reported. (Maine Morning Star)
Central Maine Power customers said energy prices are already too high and urged regulators to reject a proposed rate hike, Maine Morning Star reported. (Maine Morning Star)
Caesars Entertainment announced an online gambling partnership with Maine's Wabanaki nations, WGME reported. (WGME)
Maine's Wabanaki Nations have sought tribal sovereignty but instead gained access to iGaming, the Boston Globe reported. (The Boston Globe)
License plate readers face pushback
State lawmakers launched an effort to ban Flock license-plate-reading cameras in Auburn, WMTW reported. (WMTW)
South Portland stopped using Flock license-plate-reading cameras, Maine Public reported. (Maine Public)
Idexx removed suspected license-plate-reading cameras from its properties in Westbrook and Scarborough, the Portland Press Herald reported. (The Portland Press Herald)
Community and local news
Gov. Janet Mills and Sen. Susan Collins marked the opening of a Lewiston museum at its new site, WGME reported. (WGME)
Thousands attended downtown Portland's annual Pride Parade, WGME reported. (WGME)
Biddeford celebrated its French heritage at the La Kermesse festival, marking the event's 43rd year, Central Maine reported. (Central Maine)
Lewiston-Auburn's two-day Liberty Festival planned to feature a parade for the first time, the Sun Journal reported. (Sun Journal)
Central Maine Community College named Susan Rogers, a former psychology professor and current vice president at Dutchess Community College in New York, as its new president, the Sun Journal reported. (Sun Journal)
Gov. Janet Mills donated $100,000 to keep the Katahdin Higher Education Center open, WABI reported. (WABI)
This roundup summarizes reporting by other outlets; follow the links for their full stories.
