Democrat Hannah Pingree has won Maine's gubernatorial race, defeating Republican Bobby Charles, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ. The victory ensures Democrats will hold the Blaine House for a third consecutive term, as Pingree succeeds outgoing Governor Janet Mills, who was term-limited.
With 29 percent of the vote counted as of 10:32 p.m. EST, DDHQ projected Pingree ahead by nearly 6 percentage points. The race also featured independent candidate Rick Bennett, a former Republican state Senate president.
Pingree, the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), has deep roots in Maine politics. She was first elected to the state House in 2002 at age 26, later rising to House majority leader and then becoming House Speaker by age 32, only the second woman to hold that position.
After leaving the legislature in 2010 due to term limits, Pingree directed the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future under Mills, giving her executive branch experience that she leaned on during the campaign.
Pingree emerged from a crowded Democratic primary that included former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, clean energy executive Angus King III, and former Senate President Troy Jackson. She initially trailed Shah in first-choice votes but won the ranked-choice count in the fourth round, picking up support from voters whose candidates had been eliminated.
Going into the final stretch, Pingree was the clear favorite. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the race “Solid Democrat,” while DDHQ gave her an 85 percent chance of winning as of Friday. Her victory comes amid a competitive Senate race in which Republican Susan Collins faced a strong challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, who flipped the seat and ended Collins's 30-year tenure, according to the projection of Jackson's Senate win.
Pingree's win continues a Democratic streak in Maine's executive office, which has been held by Mills since 2019. Her campaign focused on expanding access to healthcare, investing in clean energy, and addressing the state's housing shortage, while Charles emphasized fiscal restraint and conservative social policies.
Political observers see Pingree's victory as part of a broader Democratic performance in New England, where the party has maintained strongholds despite national headwinds. The result also reinforces Maine's shift toward ranked-choice voting, which played a key role in both the primary and the general election dynamics.
As governor, Pingree will face a legislature divided between Democrats and Republicans, requiring bipartisan cooperation on issues such as the state budget, education funding, and infrastructure. Her experience in the House and in the governor's office may ease the transition as she takes on the state's top executive role.
