Rep. Jared Golden comes out ahead through Maine's ranked choice voting, but there may be a recount

PORTLAND, Maine — Democratic Rep. Jared Golden came out ahead in the congressional race through Maine’s ranked choice system, election officials said Friday.

If the results stand it would be the third time in four elections in the hotly contested district that Golden won after votes were retabulated because first choices failed to produce a majority for any candidate.

This time it was Republican challenger Austin Theriault who came out behind. His campaign had said he would seek a recount, and his campaign reiterated the request Friday evening.

Golden said the results show that he won, and he thanked his supporters, but he said Theriault was within his rights to request a recount.

Theriault’s campaign manager, Shawn Roderick, said a recount was warranted given the closeness of the election.

“Every Mainer’s voice should be heard and their vote counted in this historically close race and we have seen several anomalies that can only be rectified with a full recount. We appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we work to ensure every vote is counted,” he said.

The Associated Press has not yet called the race since it is seeking more information from the secretary of state's office to determine if the result will withstand an expected recount.

Maine’s 2nd District, which is largely rural and known for its lobster fishing and logging, has favored President-elect Donald Trump in each of his three elections.

Neither candidate won a majority of the first place votes on Election Day. The initial count of first-place choices put Golden ahead of Theriault by about 2,000 votes but both fell shy of a majority with less than 49% of the votes cast because of some 12,000 ballots that were either blank or had write-in candidates.

The initial outcome triggered Maine’s ranked choice process. All of the district’s ballots were shipped to the state capital, verified, scanned into a computer and retabulated in a process narrated on a livestream by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. Then, any second choices for Golden or Theriault on the blank ballots or by voters for write-in candidates were reallocated to determine a winner.

Some media prematurely declared Golden the winner before the secretary of state’s office invoked the ranked choice process, and Theriault’s campaign previously said he would request a recount. If there’s a recount, it could be weeks before it’s completed. Meanwhile, election workers must certify election results and sent to the governor by Maine’s Nov. 25 deadline, though state law grants an exception for recounts.

This race was one of relatively few truly competitive contests nationwid e as both parties struggled to control the House of Representatives, and it drew about $50 million in political spending, a large sum for a mostly rural district.

Golden, who was known for his willingness to defy his own party, campaigned on his ability to work with both Democrats and Republicans and his advocacy for the lobster industry, which is the crucial to the economy in the region.

“I’ve been one of the most independent-minded members of Congress, one of the most bipartisan,” Golden said during an October debate, adding that he had voted against President Joe Biden “more than any other Democrat in the House of Representatives.”

But Golden was attacked for his opposition to assault weapons, which he announced after an Army reservist used an assault rifle to kill 18 people and injure 13 others in Lewiston in October 2023.

Theriault, who was first elected to the Maine House in 2022, portrayed Golden as too liberal for the district. And although Theriault had the backing of Trump, he also portrayed himself as a potential uniter during a time of division.

“We need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” Theriault said during the debate. “I’m somebody that can go down there and get the job done. I want to advocate for everybody.”

The district’s voters repeatedly sent Golden to Congress after election night-squeakers that weren’t settled without the state’s ranked-choice process. Ranked choice tabulations allowed Golden to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin in 2018, and to win a rematch in 2022.

The voting system adopted by Maine voters in 2016 lets voters rank their first, second and third choices of candidates on the ballot. A candidate who collects a majority of first-place votes is the winner. If there’s no majority winner, then last-place candidates are eliminated and their supporters’ second choices are used to reallocate the votes, and so on, until one candidate surpasses 50%.

The 2nd Congressional District is among the nation’s largest by area, stretching to Maine’s northernmost corners. Logging is a mainstay, and lobster fishing is a key source of income along the craggy Down East coast.

Maine is one of two states to apportion electoral votes by congressional district — Nebraska is the other — and Trump has won his sole New England electoral vote in Maine’s 2nd District three times.

Maine’s other electoral votes — two for the statewide vote and one for the 1st Congressional District — have gone to the Democratic candidate because the deep blue 1st District is based around Portland, the largest city in the state and a liberal stronghold. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree won her ninth term there, over Republican challenger Ron Russell and independent Ethan Alcorn.