Republicans have secured a rare congressional victory in Maine, where former Gov. Paul LePage has emerged victorious in a closely contested House race despite the Democratic Party’s sweeping gains across the country.
LePage, 78, defeated Democratic state Auditor Matt Dunlap in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, flipping a seat previously held by Democrats and delivering one of the GOP’s few major bright spots in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The victory is particularly notable because Republicans failed to flip any other Democratic-held congressional district outside of changes resulting from mid-decade redistricting.
While Democrats celebrated a commanding new majority in the House of Representatives, LePage managed to break through in one of the nation’s most closely watched swing districts.
According to figures released by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office, 341,248 ballots were cast in the contest.
LePage received 170,263 first-choice votes, representing approximately 49.9% of the total.
Dunlap finished with 164,845 votes, or roughly 48.3%.
That gave the former Republican governor an initial advantage of 5,418 votes.
However, because neither candidate secured an outright majority of all ballots cast, Maine’s ranked-choice voting system requires an additional tabulation.
The process is scheduled to begin Monday, November 9, at the Department of Public Safety headquarters in Augusta, following verification of the municipal vote totals.
Despite that remaining procedural step, both campaigns have indicated that the results are unlikely to change.
LePage declared victory Wednesday, while Dunlap conceded the race the following day.
The Republican victory marks a significant change for a congressional district that had been represented by Democrat Jared Golden for four consecutive terms.
Golden decided earlier this year not to seek reelection, opening the door to a competitive contest between the former governor and the Democratic state auditor.
During his time in Congress, Golden developed a reputation as a moderate Democrat who occasionally broke with his party on major political issues.
His ability to maintain Democratic control of the district was particularly notable given its presidential voting history.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across much of the state’s rural and northern regions, voted for Donald Trump in three consecutive presidential elections.
It is also the largest congressional district by geographic area east of the Mississippi River.
LePage entered the race with substantial name recognition after spending years in Maine politics.
Before becoming governor, he served as mayor of Waterville from 2004 until 2011.
He subsequently served two terms as Maine’s governor, holding office from 2011 through 2019.
After leaving the governor’s mansion because of term limits, LePage relocated to Florida.
He eventually returned to Maine and unsuccessfully attempted a political comeback in 2022, challenging Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.
Although LePage lost that statewide election, he carried the 2nd Congressional District, providing an early indication that his political appeal remained strong in the region.
Four years later, that support helped propel him toward another elected office.
At 78, LePage will become one of the oldest freshman members of Congress when the new House convenes in January.
His victory also creates an unusual contrast with the national political landscape.
Across the country, Democrats delivered substantial gains in the November 3 elections, capturing control of both chambers of Congress.
Projections indicate that Democrats could finish with approximately 250 to 260 House seats once the remaining contests are resolved.
Such an outcome would represent a net gain of roughly 40 seats and establish one of the party’s largest House majorities in recent decades.
Against that backdrop, LePage’s victory stands apart.
While Republican candidates struggled to defend districts elsewhere, the former Maine governor managed to capture a seat that Democrats had controlled throughout Golden’s congressional career, per Trending Politics.
The outcome also demonstrates the political differences between Maine’s two congressional districts, particularly in their voting patterns during presidential elections.
Although the ranked-choice tabulation still needs to be completed, Dunlap’s concession has effectively settled the political contest.
For Republicans, the victory provides a rare pickup in an election otherwise dominated by Democratic gains.
And for LePage, it marks a return to elected office after years away from Maine’s governorship, this time with a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
