The 2018 Maine gubernatorial election will take place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Maine. It will occur along with elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and other state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Paul LePage is term limited and cannot seek reelection to a third consecutive term in office.
The primaries for this election were the first in Maine to be conducted with ranked choice voting (RCV), as opposed to a simple plurality, after voters passed a citizen referendum approving the change in 2016. An advisory opinion by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court held that RCV would be unconstitutional for general elections for governor and the state legislature. This led state legislators to vote to delay its implementation pending approval of a state constitutional amendment. Backers of a "people's veto" turned in enough signatures to suspend this law until a June referendum vote, which restored RCV for future primary and congressional elections.
Governor Paul LePage threatened not to certify the results of the primary elections, saying he would "leave it up to the courts to decide." He also called the use of ranked-choice voting the "most horrific thing in the world."
The Republican nominee is businessman and 2010 independent candidate for governor Shawn Moody. The Democratic candidate is Attorney General Janet Mills. State Treasurer Terry Hayes and businessman Alan Caron have qualified for the ballot as independents.
Video Maine gubernatorial election, 2018
Background
Incumbent Republican Paul LePage is term-limited, having been elected twice consecutively in 2010 and 2014. LePage did not win a majority of the vote either time (receiving 37.6% in a crowded four-way race in 2010 and 48.2% in a three-way race in 2014), with Democrats accusing independent candidate Eliot Cutler of splitting the anti-LePage vote in both instances, though Cutler finished closer to LePage than Democratic candidate Libby Mitchell in the 2010 election.
Maine's history of governors elected without majorities, including LePage, was one impetus for the citizen's referendum to implement ranked choice voting. Though it was approved by voters in a 2016 referendum, the Maine Legislature voted to delay and potentially repeal RCV for all elections after an advisory opinion by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled it unconstitutional for general elections for state offices. RCV supporters succeeded in a people's veto effort to prevent the delay, which suspends it until a June 2018 referendum vote. RCV supporters were victorious in the June referendum, and ranked-choice voting will remain in place for state and federal primaries and federal general elections.
Maps Maine gubernatorial election, 2018
Republican primary
Speculation that U.S. Senator Susan Collins was considering running for governor arose during the 2015 Maine Legislative session when Representative Matt Moonen (D-Portland) introduced a bill to strip the governor (LePage) of the power to appoint replacement U.S. Senators in the event of a vacancy and to instead have a special primary and general election. Moonen denied that he was motivated by Collins's possible candidacy, saying he was interested only in counterbalancing Republican-sponsored bills to change how the Maine Attorney General and Maine Secretary of State are chosen. Moonen said Collins had told him speculation about her running for governor was "silly." Collins, who was the 1994 Republican nominee for governor, told MPBN News on January 4, 2016 that though she was "baffled" by the rumors about her being interested in running for governor, many had encouraged her to run, and she would not rule it out. In October 2017, Collins said she would not run for governor in 2018.
No Republican candidate has ruled out challenging the results of a ranked-choice primary in court. Mary Mayhew called for the immediate repeal of RCV, calling it a "scam" and "probably illegal".
The Maine Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Bangor on May 4, 2018, seeking to bar the use of RCV for its own primary on the grounds that requiring the party to use it violates its First Amendment rights to choose its nominee as it sees fit. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Levy rejected the suit on May 29.
Candidates
Declared
- Ken Fredette, State House Minority Leader
- Garrett Mason, State Senate Majority Leader
- Mary Mayhew, former Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services
- Shawn Moody, businessman and independent candidate for Governor in 2010
Withdrawn
- Deril Stubenrod, write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014
- Mike Thibodeau, Maine Senate President
Declined
- Rick Bennett, former chairman of the Maine Republican Party, former President of the Maine Senate, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and nominee for ME-02 in 1994
- Susan Collins, U.S. Senator and nominee for governor in 1994
- Nick Isgro, Mayor of Waterville
- Bruce Poliquin, U.S. Representative (running for reelection)
- Peter Vigue, businessman
Endorsements
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Almost all Democratic candidates have said that they will abide by the results of the ranked-choice primary, with only Janet Mills refusing to comment on the issue because it is being heard by the courts.
Candidates
Declared
- Adam Cote, attorney, Iraq War veteran and candidate for ME-01 in 2008
- Donna Dion, former Mayor of Biddeford
- Mark Dion, State Senator and former Cumberland County Sheriff
- Mark Eves, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
- Janet Mills, Maine Attorney General
- Diane Russell, former State Representative
- Betsy Sweet, former director of the Maine Women's Lobby
Failed to make ballot
- Dominic A. Crocitto
- Steve DeAngelis, schoolteacher
- J. Martin Vachon
Withdrawn
- James Boyle, former State Senator
- Patrick Eisenhart, retired United States Coast Guard Commander
- Sean Faircloth, former Mayor of Bangor and former State Senator
- Kenneth Forrest Pinet
Declined
- Justin Alfond, former state senator and former President of the Maine Senate
- Yellow Light Breen, CEO of the Maine Development Foundation
- Adam Goode, former state representative
- Troy Jackson, State Senate Minority Leader
- Stephen King, author
- Chellie Pingree, U.S. Representative
- Hannah Pingree, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
- Lucas St. Clair, nonprofit executive (ran for ME-02)
Endorsements
All endorsers are Democrats unless otherwise specified
Polling
Results
Green Independent primary
Candidates
Withdrawn
- Jay Parker Dresser, candidate for ME-02 in 2016
- Betsy Marsano
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Withdrawn
- Richard Light
- Gilbert P. Doughty
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Kenneth A. Capron, systems analyst and fraud investigator
- Alan Caron, President and CEO of Envision Maine
- Aaron D. Chadbourne, writer and activist (write-in candidate)
- Terry Hayes, Maine State Treasurer
- John Jenkins, former Mayor of Lewiston, former Mayor of Auburn and former Democratic State Senator
^ Chadbourne is a registered Republican, but filed his write-in candidacy on June 14, 2018, two days after Shawn Moody won the Republican nomination.
Withdrawn
- Ethan Alcorn, businessman
Failed to make ballot
- Karmo Sanders
Declined
- Eliot Cutler, attorney and candidate for governor in 2010 and 2014
- Angus King, U.S. Senator and former governor (running for re-election)
- Peter Vigue, businessman
- Dick Woodbury, former state senator
Endorsements
General Election
Predictions
See also
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2018
References
External links
- Maine Secretary of State - Elections Division
- Official campaign websites
- Kenneth Capron (I) for Governor
- Alan Caron (I) for Governor
- Aaron Chadbourne (I) for Governor
- Terry Hayes (I) for Governor
- John Jenkins (I) for Governor
- Janet Mills (D) for Governor
- Shawn Moody (R) for Governor
Source of article : Wikipedia
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