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Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

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Maine's 2nd Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 16, 2020
Primary: July 14, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Jared Golden (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Maine
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Maine's 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd
Maine elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

Incumbent Jared Golden (D) defeated Dale Crafts (R) and write-in candidates Daniel Fowler (D) and Timothy Hernandez (D) in the general election for Maine's 2nd Congressional District on November 3, 2020.

Golden was first elected in 2018. He defeated incumbent Bruce Poliquin (R) 50.6% to 49.4%. That was the first general election in Maine for which ranked-choice voting was law. It was also the first congressional election in U.S. history to use ranked-choice voting to decide the winner.

Prior to Poliquin's defeat, no incumbent had lost an election for Maine's 2nd District seat since 1916.

The 2nd District was one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton (D) 51% to 41% in the 2nd District. Barack Obama (D) won the district in the 2012 and 2008 presidential elections with 53% and 55%, respectively.[1]

The outcome of this race affected partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. All 435 seats in the House were up for election. At the time of the election, Democrats had a 232 to 198 majority over Republicans. The Libertarian Party had one seat. Four seats were vacant. Democrats defended 30 districts Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. Republicans defended five districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.


Maine's 2nd Congressional District encompasses the entire portion of the state north of Portland and Augusta. All of Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, and Washington counties and a part of Kennebec County are included in the district.[2]

This race was one of 89 congressional races that were decided by 10 percent or less in 2020.


Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Maine's 2nd Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 44.8 53
Republican candidate Republican Party 52.3 47
Difference 7.5 6

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Maine modified its voter registration procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Voter registration: The voter pre-registration deadline in the general election was extended to October 19, 2020.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Maine District 2

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jared Golden in round 1 .

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 373,235
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jared Golden in round 1 .

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 57,718
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for U.S. House Maine District 2

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Dale Crafts in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 42,347
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[3] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.


Jared Golden

Image of Jared Golden

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Golden was a Marine for four years, serving tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He graduated from Bates College in 2011. Golden returned to Afghanistan as a volunteer teacher, then worked as a staffer for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. When he entered the state House, Golden became the assistant majority leader of the chamber.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

A Golden campaign ad said he learned teamwork in the Marines and put politics aside in Congress. It said he led a bipartisan effort to improve mental healthcare for veterans in Maine.

Golden said his record included working to protect people with pre-existing conditions, lower drug costs, fight federal regulations affecting lobstermen, and protect jobs at Bath Iron Works. 

A Golden campaign ad said Crafts would take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allow seniors to be charged more for healthcare. Golden said Crafts' statement that Golden supported defunding the police was false.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Jared Golden for Congress," accessed October 19, 2020; WABI, "Crafts and Golden debate on topics including healthcare, police reform," October 15, 2020; Vote Smart, "Jared Golden's Biography," accessed October 19, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maine District 2 in 2020.

Dale Crafts

Image of Dale Crafts

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Crafts taught Sunday school for 15 years. He was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident at age 25. Crafts co-founded Mobility Plus, a research and development company that aims to help people with disabilities drive. He has owned several businesses, including Crafts Builders Inc., C&F Developments LLC, and Goin’ Postal Franchise. Crafts also served on the Lisbon Revitalization and Revolving Loan Committee.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Crafts said he overcame his motorcycle accident and lived the American dream.

Crafts emphasized his background in business and the state legislature, saying he employed hundreds of Mainers, protected Second Amendment rights, and passed the largest tax cut in Maine history. He said he would work with Trump to promote pro-growth policies.

A Crafts campaign ad said Golden supported defunding the police. Crafts said Golden's statement that Crafts supported taking protections away from people with pre-existing conditions was false.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Dale Crafts for U.S. Congress, Videos," accessed October 19, 2020; WMTW, "Dale Crafts' law and order campaign ad labeled false by Rep. Jared Golden," September 29, 2020; WABI, "Crafts and Golden debate on topics including healthcare, police reform," October 15, 2020; Dale Crafts' 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed October 19, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maine District 2 in 2020.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Maine 2nd Congressional District, 2020: General election polls
Poll Date Democratic Party Golden Republican Party Crafts Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
Siena College [4] Sept. 11-16 56% 37% 6%[5] ± 5.1 663 The New York Times
LOC Wick[6] Aug. 25-28, 2020 50% 44% 6% ± 4.9 400 Left of Center PAC


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[7] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[8] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Jared Golden Democratic Party $5,382,793 $5,344,641 $130,861 As of December 31, 2020
Daniel Fowler Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Timothy Hernandez Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Dale Crafts Republican Party $1,283,275 $1,279,587 $3,689 As of December 31, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+2, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Maine's 2nd Congressional District the 219th most Republican nationally.[9]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.10. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.10 points toward that party.[10]

Ranked-choice voting

Ranked-choice voting in Maine

Maine uses ranked-choice voting for all federal and state-level (e.g., governor, state senator, and state representative) primary elections. Ranked-choice voting is used in general elections for federal offices only (i.e., U.S. Congress and the presidency).[11]

Click here for information on the history of ranked-choice voting in Maine.

How ranked-choice voting works

Broadly speaking, the ranked-choice voting process unfolds as follows for single-winner elections:

  1. Voters rank the candidates for a given office by preference on their ballots.
  2. If a candidate wins an outright majority of first-preference votes (i.e., 50 percent plus one), he or she will be declared the winner.
  3. If, on the other hand, no candidates win an outright majority of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated.
  4. All first-preference votes for the failed candidate are eliminated, lifting the second-preference choices indicated on those ballots.
  5. A new tally is conducted to determine whether any candidate has won an outright majority of the adjusted voters.
  6. The process is repeated until a candidate wins a majority of votes cast.

Example

Assume that there are four candidates for mayor in a hypothetical city. The table below presents the raw first-preference vote totals for each candidate.

Raw first-preference vote tallies in a hypothetical mayoral race
Candidate First-preference votes Percentage
Candidate A 475 46.34%
Candidate B 300 29.27%
Candidate C 175 17.07%
Candidate D 75 7.32%

In the above scenario, no candidate won an outright majority of first-preference votes. As a result, the candidate (Candidate D) with the smallest number of first-preference votes is eliminated. The ballots that listed candidate D as the first preference are adjusted, raising their second-preference candidates. Assume that, of the 75 first-preference votes for Candidate D, 50 listed Candidate A as their second preference and 25 listed Candidate B. The adjusted vote totals would be as follows:

Adjusted vote tallies in a hypothetical mayoral race
Candidate Adjusted first-preference votes Percentage
Candidate A 525 51.22%
Candidate B 325 31.71%
Candidate C 175 17.07%

On the second tally, Candidate A secured 51.22 percent of the vote, thereby winning the election.

Note: The above is a simplified example used for illustrative purposes. Specific procedures vary by jurisdiction and according to the nature of the election (i.e., whether it is a single-winner or multi-winner contest).

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[12]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[13][14][15]

Race ratings: Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticLean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Golden (D) Crafts (R)
Newspapers and editorials
Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel editorial board[16] ✔
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)[17] ✔
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine)[18] ✔
Individuals
Former U.S. Sen. William Cohen (R-Maine)[19] ✔

Timeline

2020

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Jared Golden

Supporting Golden

"Focus" - Golden campaign ad, released October 23, 2020
"Senator Angus King Endorses Jared Golden" - Golden campaign ad, released October 22, 2020
"Know" - Golden campaign ad, released October 14, 2020
"In Common" - Golden campaign ad, released October 5, 2020
"Prescription" - Golden campaign ad, released September 18, 2020
"Teamwork" - Golden campaign ad, released September 18, 2020
"Garage Party" - Golden campaign ad, released September 4, 2020
"Fishing" - Golden campaign ad, released September 4, 2020
"Commute" - Golden campaign ad, released August 18, 2020
"Bath" - Golden campaign ad, released August 18, 2020

Opposing Crafts

"Concerned" - Golden campaign ad, released October 5, 2020

Republican Party Dale Crafts

"Shawn Moody Endorses Dale Crafts" - Crafts campaign ad, released October 22, 2020
"Lance Harvell Endorses Dale Craft" - Crafts campaign ad, released October 22, 2020
"American Dream" - Crafts campaign ad, released September 2, 2020
"SUPPORT THE 2ND AMENDMENT" - Crafts campaign ad, released June 1, 2020
"Former Governor Paul LePage TV Commercial" - Crafts campaign ad, released May 26, 2020
"Bob Emrich supports Dale Crafts for U.S. Congress" - Crafts campaign ad, released March 16, 2020
"Andre Cushing Endorses Dale Crafts for U.S. Congress" - Crafts campaign ad, released March 16, 2020
"Randall Greenwood Supports Dale Crafts for U.S. Congress" - Crafts campaign ad, released March 16, 2020
"John Picchiotti endorses Dale Crafts for U.S. Congress" - Crafts campaign ad, released March 16, 2020
"Enjoy the Spirit of Maine" - Crafts campaign ad, released February 10, 2020


Satellite group ads

Opposing Golden

"Pretends" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released September 30, 2020

Opposing Crafts

"Out of Luck" - House Majority PAC ad, released October 26, 2020

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Jared Golden

Golden’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Campaign Finance Reform
Jared believes that we won’t be able to make progress on the serious issues facing the country unless we first work to get big money out of politics and clean up government corruption. He has made campaign finance reform and anti-corruption efforts a key part of his agenda in Congress. During his first term, he has:
  • Supported a constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision.
  • Walked the talk by refusing to accept donations from Corporate PACs.
  • Cosponsored and voted for the most comprehensive election reform and anti-corruption legislation in decades, the For the People Act, which would limit partisan gerrymandering, bolster ethics rules, reduce the influence of private money in politics, and expand voting rights.
  • Expanding Healthcare
Few issues touch working Mainers as closely as access to affordable, high quality healthcare coverage. Jared has been a staunch defender of the Affordable Care Act and expanding access so that every American can have health coverage. In his first term in Congress, he has:
  • Prioritized lowering prescription drug prices. He helped pass H.R. 3, which would cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare, and allow the program to negotiate lower drug prices. He also introduced original legislation, the FLAT Prices Act, which would punish Big Pharma companies when they hurt consumers with skyrocketing drug prices.
  • Opposed the Trump Administration’s misguided support of the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
  • Supported numerous bills to expand Medicare coverage, including dental, hearing, and vision care
  • Backed a bill to allow states like Maine to take advantage of full federal funding to support Medicaid expansion.
  • Supporting Seniors
Jared knows that Social Security and Medicare are promises that must be kept. That’s why he strongly supports protecting and strengthening these programs. Jared has:
  • Promised to protect Social Security and increase benefits so that no senior retires in poverty.
  • Signed onto legislation to repeal the Windfall Elimination Program and Government Pension Offset, poorly-designed calculations that unfairly reduce Maine retirees’ Social Security benefits.
  • Fought to lower prescription drug costs for seniors by proposing a cap on out-of-pocket Medicare part D costs and introducing legislation that would punish drug companies for excessive price hikes.
  • Signed onto legislation that has become law to extend the Health Coverage Tax Credit which will help retirees in places like Madawaska.
  • Good Jobs
Jared is a labor Democrat who believes that our economy does well when workers at all levels are treated with dignity through fair compensation and benefits. He knows that stronger unions lead to a stronger middle-class in America. While in Congress, he has:
  • Led a coalition of over 75 House members to push for the passage of the PRO Act, one of the most significant pro-labor bills in a generation.
  • Gone to bat for Maine’s heritage industries, including introducing legislation to help grow the logging workforce, protect lobstermen from misguided, unfair regulations, and plan for the future of Maine’s shipbuilding workforce.
  • Used his position on the House Small Business Committee to highlight the need to invest in rural infrastructure, including broadband, to help Maine businesses and communities succeed.
  • Advocated for the future of Maine’s shipbuilding workforce, using his position on the Armed Services Committee to advocate for jobs at Maine shipyards and pushing the U.S. Navy to conduct a study on the challenges facing the growth of a strong workforce to support our defense industries.
  • Serving Veterans
Having served in Afghanistan and Iraq, Jared knows first-hand some of the challenges members of the military face when they return home. From improving transition services for newly-returned vets to improving VA healthcare for older veterans, Jared has been deeply invested in improving the lives of Maine veterans. As a member of Congress, he has:
  • Led an effort to push the VA to establish a permanent unit at Togus to provide long-term beds for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
  • Passed an amendment through the House to increase funding for long-term mental health care beds as a part of the annual VA funding bill.
  • Put a strong emphasis on constituent services to help veterans in need.
  • Helped fight to successfully repeal the unfair “Widow’s Tax” that offset pension benefits to military widows.
  • Voted for a successful effort to expand VA protections to Blue Water Navy Veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
  • Our Environment
Jared knows that Maine’s natural resources are critical to our way of life and economy. He opposes efforts to weaken important environmental protections and has been a strong advocate of maintaining and restoring our national parks system. While in office, he has:
  • Backed legislation to keep the United States in the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Supported the Land and Water Conservation Fund, our nation’s most successful program for protecting public lands and parks
  • Supported legislation to fully fund the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Championed legislation to address the maintenance backlog at our national parks.[26]
 ”
—Jared Golden’s campaign website (2020)[27]


Republican Party Dale Crafts

Crafts' campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Healthcare
Mainers deserve access to affordable, quality healthcare. As your Congressman, I will fight for lower costs, increased access, and higher quality care. Doctors, not Washington bureaucrats, should make decisions about your health. Free market based healthcare options will help families choose their best health care needs at an affordable price.
I will fight to make sure that our seniors have access to most modern medical treatment and benefits, including preventive care and prescription drug coverage. We must work to ensure that Medicare’s fiscal footing is sound for future generations.
  • Drug Pricing
U.S. prescription drug costs are the highest in the developed world because most other countries negotiate pricing directly with manufacturers. With Medicare’s 57 million plus beneficiaries, we are in the driver’s seat to negotiate needed leverage to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
We need to allow more affordable prescription drugs to be imported. The prices of brand name drugs are much higher in the United States than other developed countries. A free market that allows the safe and legal importation of affordable prescription drugs would create a competitive environment, pressuring drug companies to lower consumer’s price.
  • Life
Dale is 100% pro-life and has always been an advocate for the unborn. As a father of 6 and grandfather of 14, Dale truly understands how precious life is.
  • Military & Veterans
Since the founding of our Nation, we have relied on the strength of our military’s men and women who have served so courageously protecting us from enemies from every corner of the world that believe in taking away our most cherished value as Americans- freedom. These millions of volunteers have answered the call of duty so that we may live in freedom. As your Congressman, I will honor their courage, dedication, and sacrifice by providing the resources necessary to take care of our service members on the battlefield and our veterans who return home from battle.
  • 2nd Amendment and Maine's Outdoor Heritage
For over 50 years, I’ve been enjoying Maine’s great outdoors. There is no place I’d rather be then out among Maine’s beauty. When it comes to our outdoor heritage and 2nd amendment rights, I don’t just talk the talk. During my time on the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee and as a Board Member for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, I have led the effort to ensure all Mainers have the right to bear arms for sport, recreation, collection and personal protection. I have worked to ensure that Maine’s beauty and outdoor heritage is preserved.
Our rights are under attack every day in Washington. The radical left is reaching into your gun safe with every chance they get. As your Congressman, I will fight for all American’s second amendment rights. We must all remember that when it comes to the right to bear arms, the second protects the first.
  • Workforce
As your Congressman, I will use my experience as an employer to develop workforce development training initiatives that prepare American’s current and future workforce with the skills necessary to fill those jobs that deliver higher paychecks. In order to keep America’s economy growing, we must ensure that we have a skilled, reliable workforce. With America’s economy thriving, we are presented with more opportunities for American workers, but also a challenge for employers to find workers with specific skill sets to fill the increasing number of open jobs.
  • Immigration
Welcoming new citizens into the United States strengthens our society and broadens our ability to accomplish great things. However, any sovereign nation has a right and an obligation to protect its borders from those who enter illegally. In order to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in our country, we first must enforce the laws that already exist. Illegal immigration puts our national and economic security at risk. For too long politicians in Washington D.C. have talked about immigration reform and streamlining the process that provides a legal and appropriate path to citizenship.
We must work to strengthen and reform our immigration laws, making them more effective and efficient. In order to do this, we must secure our border by building a physical wall, as well as, electronic surveillance. We should also ensure that illegal immigrants are not receiving any of the benefits that belong to American citizens.
  • The Economy
When the economy is strong, everyone wins.
The economy is the driving force of what will keep America great for generations to come. With a strong economy, unemployment rates plummet, employers hire workers and increase wages, education spending is expanded, charitable giving increases, and America’s military might remain unquestioned.
As the only business owner in this race, I have the experience to go to Washington and partner with President Trump to continue lowering taxes, reducing burdensome regulations, and growing our economy.
  • Taxes
While serving in the State Legislature, I worked alongside Governor LePage to pass the largest tax cut in Maine history, removing 70,000 of the lowest income Mainers completely from the tax rolls and creating economic prosperity in Maine that has lasted through today. The 2011 tax cuts helped Maine workers lead the nation in wage growth from 2013 through 2015 and led to the longest sustained period of record low unemployment in the state’s history.
As your Congressman, I will support lowering taxes for all Americans. I will fight to ensure your money stays in your pocket, because leaving money in people’s pockets is the best way for government to help those in need. As a businessman, I understand that lower corporate taxes means an increased ability to build your business, expand your workforce, and reward your employees for their hard work.
  • Energy
America has been blessed with abundant natural resources. Because of free markets and free people, we have been able to harness those natural resources to provide energy to our homes and businesses. Because energy is priced on a second by second basis, we must be able to alternate between power sources quickly to get the best possible price.
As your Congressman, I will be a reliable vote and voice for the lowest priced energy source.
Not favoring one energy source or another, but, in short, advocating for a free market approach to energy production and purchasing. We should not be picking winners or losers when it comes to energy.
Affordable, reliable energy makes our lives–and our economy–better. It keeps our bills low, keeps jobs here at home, and keeps us secure in a dangerous world.[26]
 ”
—Dale Crafts' campaign website (2020)[28]

District represented by a Democrat in 2020 and won by Donald Trump in 2016

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Democrat in 2020 and won by Donald Trump in 2016

This district was one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts up in 2020 that Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. Most were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2020.


2020 Democratic-held U.S. House districts won by Donald Trump in 2016
District Incumbent Ran in 2020? 2018 congressional margin 2016 presidential margin 2012 presidential margin
Arizona's 1st Democratic Party Tom O'Halleran Yes Democrats+7.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+2.5
Georgia's 6th Democratic Party Lucy McBath Yes Democrats+1.0 Trump+1.5 Romney+23.3
Illinois' 14th Democratic Party Lauren Underwood Yes Democrats+5.0 Trump+3.9 Romney+10
Illinois' 17th Democratic Party Cheri Bustos Yes Democrats+24.2 Trump+0.7 Obama+17
Iowa's 1st Democratic Party Abby Finkenauer Yes Democrats+5.1 Trump+3.5 Obama+13.7
Iowa's 2nd Democratic Party Dave Loebsack Retired Democrats+5.2 Trump+4.1 Obama+13.1
Iowa's 3rd Democratic Party Cindy Axne Yes Democrats+2.2 Trump+3.5 Obama+4.2
Maine's 2nd Democratic Party Jared Golden Yes Democrats+1.3 Trump+10.3 Obama+8.6
Michigan's 8th Democratic Party Elissa Slotkin Yes Democrats+3.8 Trump+6.7 Romney+3.1
Michigan's 11th Democratic Party Haley Stevens Yes Democrats+6.7 Trump+4.4 Romney+5.4
Minnesota's 2nd Democratic Party Angie Craig Yes Democrats+5.5 Trump+1.2 Obama+0.1
Minnesota's 7th Democratic Party Collin Peterson Yes Democrats+4.3 Trump+30.8 Romney+9.8
Nevada's 3rd Democratic Party Susie Lee Yes Democrats+9.1 Trump+1.0 Obama+0.8
New Hampshire's 1st Democratic Party Chris Pappas Yes Democrats+8.6 Trump+1.6 Obama+1.6
New Jersey's 3rd Democratic Party Andrew Kim Yes Democrats+1.3 Trump+6.2 Obama+4.6
New Jersey's 5th Democratic Party Josh Gottheimer Yes Democrats+13.7 Trump+1.1 Romney+3.0
New Jersey's 11th Democratic Party Mikie Sherrill Yes Democrats+14.6 Trump+0.9 Romney+5.8
New Mexico's 2nd Democratic Party Xochitl Torres Small Yes Democrats+1.9 Trump+10.2 Romney+6.8
New York's 11th Democratic Party Max Rose Yes Democrats+6.5 Trump+9.8 Obama+4.3
New York's 18th Democratic Party Sean Maloney Yes Democrats+10.9 Trump+1.9 Obama+4.3
New York's 19th Democratic Party Antonio Delgado Yes Democrats+5.2 Trump+6.8 Obama+6.2
New York's 22nd Democratic Party Anthony Brindisi Yes Democrats+1.8 Trump+15.5 Romney+0.4
Oklahoma's 5th Democratic Party Kendra Horn Yes Democrats+1.4 Trump+13.4 Romney+18.4
Pennsylvania's 8th Democratic Party Matt Cartwright Yes Democrats+9.3 Trump+9.6 Obama+11.9
Pennsylvania's 17th Democratic Party Conor Lamb Yes Democrats+12.5 Trump+2.6 Romney+4.5
South Carolina's 1st Democratic Party Joe Cunningham Yes Democrats+1.4 Trump+13.1 Romney+18.1
Utah's 4th Democratic Party Ben McAdams Yes Democrats+0.3 Trump+6.7 Romney+37.0
Virginia's 2nd Democratic Party Elaine Luria Yes Democrats+2.2 Trump+3.4 Romney+2.3
Virginia's 7th Democratic Party Abigail Spanberger Yes Democrats+1.9 Trump+6.5 Romney+10.5
Wisconsin's 3rd Democratic Party Ron Kind Yes Democrats+19.3 Trump+4.5 Obama+11
Source: Sabato's Crystal Ball and Daily Kos


Click here to see the five U.S. House districts represented by a Republican in 2020 and won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Eight of 16 Maine counties—50 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Androscoggin County, Maine 9.38% 12.78% 15.22%
Aroostook County, Maine 17.19% 7.62% 9.58%
Franklin County, Maine 5.47% 18.41% 20.29%
Kennebec County, Maine 3.58% 13.46% 14.78%
Oxford County, Maine 12.94% 14.73% 16.04%
Penobscot County, Maine 10.91% 2.93% 5.12%
Somerset County, Maine 22.67% 1.68% 5.70%
Washington County, Maine 18.44% 1.60% 1.01%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Maine with 47.8 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In 2016, Maine had four electoral votes. Maine's share of electoral votes represented 0.7 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.5 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president. Maine awards its electoral votes by congressional district and the popular vote. It has two electoral votes for the statewide vote and one for each of its two congressional districts. In presidential elections between 1820 and 2016, Maine voted Republican 67.3 percent of the time and Democratic 32.6 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Maine voted Democratic all five times.[29]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Maine. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[30][31]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 129 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 19.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 69 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 23.7 points. Clinton won nine districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 22 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 8.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 82 out of 151 state House districts in Maine with an average margin of victory of 16 points. Trump won 17 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for 2nd Congressional District candidates in Maine in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Maine, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Maine 2nd Congressional District Qualified party 1,000 Fixed number N/A N/A 3/16/2020 Source
Maine 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated 2,000 Fixed number N/A N/A 6/1/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Maine District 2

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Jared Golden in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 289,624
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2016

See also: Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016

Maine's 2nd Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Bruce Poliquin (R) defeated former state Sen. Emily Cain (D) and Jay Parker Dresser (Write-in) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Poliquin defeated Cain in 2014 to win election to the seat. Neither candidate faced a primary challenger in June.[32][33][34]

U.S. House, Maine District 2 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Poliquin Incumbent 54.8% 192,878
     Democratic Emily Ann Cain 45.2% 159,081
     N/A Write-in 0.1% 224
Total Votes 352,183
Source: Maine Secretary of State

2014

See also: Maine's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 2nd Congressional District of Maine held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Bruce Poliquin (R) defeated Emily Cain (D) and Blaine Richardson (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Maine District 2 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Emily Cain 40.2% 118,568
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Poliquin 45.2% 133,320
     Independent Blaine Richardson 10.6% 31,337
     Other Other 0.1% 248
     Blank None 3.9% 11,536
Total Votes 295,009
Source: Maine Secretary of State Official Results

2012

On November 6, 2012, Mike Michaud (D) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Kevin Raye in the general election.

U.S. House, Maine District 2 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMike Michaud Incumbent 55.7% 191,456
     Republican Kevin Raye 40% 137,542
     N/A Blank Votes 4.3% 14,910
Total Votes 343,908
Source: Maine Secretary of State "Tabulations for Elections held in 2012"

2010

On November 2, 2010, Mike Michaud won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jason Levesque (R) in the general election.[35]

U.S. House, Maine District 2 General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMike Michaud incumbent 55.1% 147,042
     Republican Jason J. Levesque 44.9% 119,669
Total Votes 266,711

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Daily Kos, ""Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008,"" accessed June 24, 2020
  2. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
  3. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Siena College Research Institute, "ME0902 Crosstabs," accessed Sept. 29, 2020
  5. ↑ Don't know/Refused
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Left of Center PAC, "Maine CD 02," accessed Sept. 14, 2020
  7. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  8. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  9. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  10. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  11. ↑ Maine.gov, "Ranked-choice Voting (RCV)," accessed February 24, 2022
  12. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  13. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  14. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  15. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 CentralMaine.com, "Our Endorsements: Pingree, Golden best choices for Congress," October 25, 2020
  17. ↑ Twitter, "Donald J. Trump on August 1, 2020," accessed August 6, 2020
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 News Center Maine, "Sen. King endorses Jared Golden for re-election," October 22, 2020
  19. ↑ Bangor Daily News, "Former GOP Sen. William Cohen Backs Democrat Jared Golden in Maine's 2nd District," September 30, 2020
  20. ↑ Associated Press, "Pence touts GOP candidates, support for fishermen in Maine," October 19, 2020
  21. ↑ Associated Press, "Pence touts GOP candidates, support for fishermen in Maine," October 19, 2020
  22. ↑ Inside Elections, "House Ratings," October 16, 2020
  23. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sabato
  24. ↑ The Cook Political Report, "House Rating Changes: Seven Races Move, Mostly Towards Democrats," September 29, 2020
  25. ↑ The Cook Political Report, "2020 House Race Ratings," Sept. 18, 2020
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  27. ↑ Jared Golden’s 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed October 14, 2020
  28. ↑ Dale Crafts' 2020 campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed October 14, 2020
  29. ↑ 270towin.com, "Maine," accessed June 1, 2017
  30. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  31. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  32. ↑ Centralmaine.com, "Cain seeks 2016 rematch for Maine’s 2nd District seat," March 3, 2015
  33. ↑ Bangor Daily News, "Bangor City Councilor Joe Baldacci to run for US House seat," July 29, 2015
  34. ↑ CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
  35. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013


Maine's current delegation to the United States Congress
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Susan Collins (R)
Angus King (I)
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