2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine
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Both of Maine's two seats to the United States House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Popular vote by congressional district. As this is a first-past-the-post election, seat totals are not determined by total popular vote in the state, but instead by results in each congressional district. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Maine |
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The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the two U.S. Representatives from the state of Maine, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on June 14.
District 1
Democratic primary
Declared
- Chellie Pingree, incumbent U.S. representative
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chellie Pingree | 28,143 | 90.63 | |
| Blank ballots | 2,909 | 9.37 | ||
| Total votes | 31,052 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Declared
- Mark Holbrook, professional counselor[2]
- Ande Smith, United States Navy veteran, attorney [3]
After a recount, Holbrook was declared the winner with a margin of 57 votes. [4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Holbrook | 10,360 | 45.13 | |
| Republican | Ande Smith | 10,303 | 44.88 | |
| Blank ballots | 2,292 | 9.98 | ||
| Total votes | 22,955 | 100 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Chellie Pingree (D) |
Mark Holbrook (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire | September 15–20, 2016 | 266 LV | ± 6.0% | 64% | 22% | 2% | 12% |
| SurveyUSA | September 4–10, 2016 | 382 LV | ± 5.1% | 57% | 37% | – | 7% |
| University of New Hampshire | June 15–21, 2016 | 248 LV | ± 4.5% | 56% | 34% | – | 10% |
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Hypothetical polling | ||||||||||||
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Endorsements
Chellie Pingree
- Equality Maine[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chellie Pingree | 227,546 | 57.99 | |
| Republican | Mark Holbrook | 164,569 | 41.94 | |
| Libertarian | James J. Bouchard (Declared Write-In) | 276 | 0.07 | |
| Blank ballots | 14,551 | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 406,942 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
District 2
Mike Michaud, the incumbent representative for the first district, did not run for reelection in 2014 so that he could run for Governor of Maine in the 2014 election. Republican Bruce Poliquin defeated Democrat Emily Cain in the 2014 election to succeed Michaud.[7]
After the election, Cain indicated she was interested in running against Poliquin in 2016.[8] In December 2014, Cain met with Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, to discuss her potential candidacy.[9] On March 3, 2015, Cain announced that she would be running for the seat.[10]
Bangor City Councilors Joe Baldacci and Ben Sprague were mentioned as potential Democratic candidates.[11] Jeff McCabe, the Majority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives, indicated that he might run against Poliquin in 2016, but later said that he would not do so.[12]
Troy Jackson, the former Majority Leader of the Maine Senate, who lost to Cain in the 2014 Democratic primary election, had said he might run as an independent candidate,[7] but he elected to run for his former Senate seat instead.[13]
Republican primary
Declared
- Bruce Poliquin, incumbent U.S. representative
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Poliquin | 19,252 | 84.15 | |
| Blank ballots | 3,625 | 15.85 | ||
| Total votes | 22,877 | 100 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Emily Cain, former State Senator and nominee for the seat in 2014[10]
Withdrawn
- Joe Baldacci, Bangor City Councilor and brother of former Governor of Maine and U.S. Representative John Baldacci[14]
Declined
- Troy Jackson, Democratic National Committee member, former State Senator, candidate for the seat in 2014 (running for State Senate)[10][13]
- Jeff McCabe, Majority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives[12]
- Ben Sprague, Bangor City Councilor[10]
Endorsements
Emily Cain
- EMILY's List[15]
- George J. Mitchell, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader (D-ME)[16]
- Nancy Pelosi, Minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA)[17]
- Equality Maine[18]
- Bangor Daily News[19]
- MaineToday Media newspapers; Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel[20]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Emily Cain | 19,003 | 86.80 | |
| Blank ballots | 2,889 | 13.20 | ||
| Total votes | 21,892 | 100 | ||
Independents
Withdrawn
- Mike Turcotte, adjunct professor at Eastern Maine Community College[21]
Declined
- Troy Jackson, Democratic primary candidate for the seat in 2014(running for State Senate)[7][13]
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Emily Cain (D) |
Bruce Poliquin (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire | October 20–25, 2016 | 341 LV | ± 3.8% | 43% | 42% | 11% |
| Normington Petts (D-Cain) | October 2–3, 2016 | 400 RV | ± 4.9% | 46% | 45% | 9% |
| University of New Hampshire | September 15–20, 2016 | 231 LV | ± 6% | 35% | 45% | 15% |
| SurveyUSA | September 4–10, 2016 | 397 LV | ± 5% | 45% | 50% | 6% |
| University of New Hampshire | June 15–21, 2016 | 227 LV | ± 4.5% | 40% | 41% | 12% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Poliquin | 192,878 | 54.77 | |
| Democratic | Emily Cain | 159,081 | 45.17 | |
| Write-in | Jay Parker Dresser | 224 | 0.06 | |
| Blank ballots | 12,703 | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 364,886 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
References
- ^ a b c d "Tabulations for Elections held on June 14, 2016". Maine Secretary of State. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
- ^ "Brunswick Republican files to challenge Pingree in 2016". Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "North Yarmouth attorney will try to unseat Maine's U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". Pressherald.com. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ Shepherd, Michael (June 29, 2016). "Holbrook confirmed GOP primary winner in Maine's 1st District — Politics — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". Bangordailynews.com. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ http://equalitymaine.org/election2016
- ^ a b "Tabulations for Elections held in 2016". Maine Secretary of State. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c "What kind of a congressman will Maine's Bruce Poliquin be? - Central Maine". Central Maine. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ "Democrats push for Cain vs. Poliquin 2016 rematch in Maine's 2nd District - Central Maine". Central Maine. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ "Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer Are Recruiting Emily Cain to Run Again". At the Races. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Shepherd, Michael (March 3, 2015). "Cain seeks 2016 rematch for Maine's 2nd District seat". Kennebec Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- ^ Michael Shepherd (January 11, 2015). "Maine's Bruce Poliquin dives into budget, energy issues". Central Maine. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
- ^ a b Michael Shepherd (February 4, 2015). "Skowhegan's McCabe says he won't run for Congress in 2016". Central Maine. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ a b c Shepherd, Michael (January 4, 2016). "Democrats McCabe, Jackson announce Maine Senate bids". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "Joe Baldacci Drops Out of Congressional Race | Maine Public Broadcasting". News.mpbn.net. February 5, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ Moretto, Mario (June 9, 2015). "Young Republican star wields Taylor Swift against Paul LePage". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Former Maine Senator endorses Emily Cain for Congress". WCSH. September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
- ^ Cousins, Christopher (June 10, 2015). "Nancy Pelosi to boost Emily Cain's rematch against Bruce Poliquin in big-money fundraiser". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ http://equalitymaine.org/election2016
- ^ http://bangordailynews.com/2016/10/20/opinion/editorials/cains-pragmatism-openness-would-better-serve-maines-2nd-district-in-congress/
- ^ http://www.pressherald.com/2016/10/23/our-view-vote-emily-cain-in-2nd-district-to-make-congress-work-again/
- ^ Mitchell, Jennifer (May 14, 2016). "Candidate Proposing Nuke Plants for Maine Drops out of Congressional Race". MPBN. Retrieved June 26, 2016.