2024 ELECTIONS RECAP

Here’s how Maine voted and what it means for the future.

BY MEGAN DIVER

The 2024 Presidential election is now behind us. The 2024 United States presidential election in Maine was part of the 2024 United States elections in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Maine voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. The State of Maine has four electoral votes in the Electoral College, following reapportionment due to the 2020 United States census in which the State neither gained nor lost a seat.

Unlike all other states except Nebraska, Maine awards two electoral votes based on the statewide vote and one vote for each congressional district. The at-large votes were expected to be contested by both parties but are typically favored to be carried by the Democratic presidential candidate, having last been won by a Republican in 1988. However, the two congressional districts were split between the Democratic and Republican candidates.

On July 21, 2024, Joe Biden, the incumbent president of the United States, announced his withdrawal from the 2024 United States presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Kamala Harris launched her 2024 presidential campaign on the same day. The announcement came after President Biden had been criticized about his competency by members of his own party. The announcement wasn’t unexpected, but it put the Presidential race in the spotlight early on. President Biden’s term ends at noon on January 20, 2025.

Former President Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential elections and a second term in the White House. As of 12 PM on Wednesday, November 6, Donald Trump had received 277 electoral votes, and Kamala Harris had received 224. Two hundred seventy electoral votes are needed to declare presidency. In Maine, Vice President Kamala Harris won 51.1% of the total vote in the State, receiving three of the State’s four electoral votes, with former President Donald Trump receiving the remaining one (Trump won 53.4% in CD 2).

United States Senate

Independent incumbent U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) defeated Republican challenger Demi Kouzounas with 52.3% of the vote, narrowly avoiding ranked-choice voting tabulation.

Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) will finish her term in 2026 and has stated that she is seeking reelection.

U.S. HOUSE

Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) defeated Republican challenger Ronald C. Russel with 59.1% of the vote in the race for Maine’s First Congressional District.

Democratic incumbent Jared Golden (D-ME-2) was declared the winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District race following a rankedchoice runoff for the seat. Golden entered the runoff with a 2,159-vote lead over Republican Austin Theriault based on the initial count from the November 5 election. His lead over Theriault expanded to 2,706 votes after the ranked-choice tabulation, which factored in the second-choice preferences of voters who either wrote another name on their ballots or left the first-choice oval blank.

Golden received 197,151 votes in the final tabulation compared to 194,445 for Theriault. Three of Golden’s four victories have been decided by ranked-choice runoffs. Republican challenger Austin Theriault requested a hand recount, meaning the official results likely won’t be known until mid-December.

Maine State Senate

Democrats have 20 seats, and Republicans have 15. Before the election, Democrats held a 22-12 majority; Republicans were able to pick up seats in this election.

Maine State House Of Representatives

Seventy-six seats are needed for the Majority. Democrats maintain control of the House. Democrats are expected to have 77 seats, while Republicans have 72, and Independents have 2 seats in the House. Official election results are not yet available due to 11 recounts.

Before this election, Democrats held 79 seats, and Republicans had 67. Four years ago, the Democrats had 90 seats.

Eleven races for the Maine Legislature were requested to be recounted.

Maine law does not require recounts, but candidates can request one. Candidates do not have to pay a deposit if the races are close—1% or less of the apparent margin of victory.

Of the recounts requested, two were for state Senate races—Senate districts 8 and 15—and nine were for Maine House of Representative races: House districts 96, 98, 81, 58, 75, 52,

44, 142, and 141.

Several of the races were very close, with the closest winning by only one vote.

Referendums

This election coincided with five referendum questions, including a referendum on the state flag,

QUESTION 1: An Act to Limit Contributions to Political Action Committees That Make Independent Expenditures, Do you want to set a $5,000 limit for giving to political action committees that spend money independently to support or defeat candidates for office?

Maine people voted in favor of Question 1, with 73% in favor and 27% opposed.

QUESTION 2: An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Research and Development and Commercialization, Do you favor a bond issue of $25,000,000 to provide funds to be awarded through a competitive process and to leverage matching private and federal funds on at least a one-to-one basis, for research and development and commercialization for Maine-based public and private institutions in support of technological innovation in the targeted sectors of life sciences and biomedical technology, environmental and renewable energy technology, information technology, advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture, aquaculture and marine technology, composites and advanced materials and precision manufacturing?

Maine people voted in favor of Question 2, with 54.6% of the vote in favor and 45.4% opposed.

QUESTION 3: An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Restore Historic Community Buildings, Do you favor a $10,000,000 bond issue to restore historic buildings owned by governmental and nonprofit organizations, with funds being issued contingent on a 25% local match requirement from either private or nonprofit sources?

Maine people voted in favor of Question 3, with 51.4% of the vote in favor and 48.6% opposed.

QUESTION 4: An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Promote the Design, Development, and Maintenance of Trails for Outdoor Recreation and Active Transportation, Do you favor a $30,000,000 bond issue to invest in the design, development, and maintenance for nonmotorized, motorized and multiuse trails statewide, to be matched by at least $3,000,000 in private and public contributions?

Maine people voted in favor of Question 4, with 55% in favor and 45% opposed.

QUESTION 5: An Act to Restore the Former State of Maine Flag, Do you favor making the former state flag, replaced as the official flag of the State in 1909 and commonly known as the Pine Tree Flag, the official flag of the State?

Maine people voted against Question 5, with 55.3% of the vote opposed and 44.7% in favor.

Megan Diver is the Vice President of the Maine Energy Marketing Association