Extremely close Maine Democratic governor primary headed to ranked-choice runoff

Key Points:

• Maine’s Democratic gubernatorial primary remains unresolved with former health official Nirav Shah leading at about 27% of the vote, followed closely by Hannah Pingree (23%), Troy Jackson (22%), and Shenna Bellows (21%) after half the votes were counted.
• A ranked-choice runoff is expected since no candidate has secured over 50%, with the process potentially starting Friday and results announced by June 19; the candidate with the fewest votes, likely Angus King III, will be eliminated first.
• Shah’s campaign capitalized on his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Jackson emphasized representing working-class Mainers and criticized political power structures for blocking worker-friendly legislation.
• Pingree, Bellows, and Jackson formed an alliance encouraging supporters to rank each other to maximize chances in the ranked-choice voting system, a strategy opposed by some Shah supporters who viewed it as a tactic to dilute Shah’s vote.
• The primary’s final days saw increased tensions with negative attack ads and a request for a campaign finance investigation, while the Republican primary also appears headed for a ranked-choice runoff ahead of the November general election.