Maine State Senate elections, 2026

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2026 Maine
Senate Elections
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PrimaryPending
GeneralNovember 3, 2026
Past Election Results
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2026 Elections
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Elections for the Maine State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The Maine State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Party As of March 2025
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 15
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Candidates

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.

Primary

Maine State Senate primary 2026

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35

General election

Maine State Senate general election 2026

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
  • Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14

Craig Hickman (i)

District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35

Voting information

See also: Voting in Maine

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.


Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Maine. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Maine

For party candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 1, Article 4 of the Maine Revised Statutes

Political party candidates must petition for placement on the primary election ballot. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought.[1][2]

Signature requirements for party candidates
Office sought Required signatures
Governor, United States Senator At least 2,000 signatures, but no more than 2,500
United States Representative At least 1,000 signatures, but no more than 1,250
State Senator At least 100 signatures, but no more than 150
State Representative At least 25 signatures, but no more than 40


Before petitions can be submitted to the Maine Secretary of State, signatures must be verified by the registrar of voters or municipal clerk in the municipality where the signatures were collected. For more information regarding specific petition requirements, see below.[1][2]

A political party candidate must also submit a "Consent of Candidate" form. The form must contain a statement signed by the candidate indicating that he or she will accept the nomination of the primary election. The form must also include the candidate's address, party designation, and a statement indicating that the candidate meets the qualifications for the office being sought. The candidate must sign the form before a notary public. The "Consent of Candidate" form must be filed along with the candidate's petition paperwork.[3][2]

The filing deadline is set by state statutes as 5 p.m. on March 15 in the year of the election. If March 15 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day.[1]

For independent candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 5, Subchapter 2 of the Maine Revised Statutes

Independent candidates must petition for placement on the general election ballot. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought.[4]

Signature requirements for independent candidates
Office sought Required signatures
Governor, United States Senator At least 4,000 signatures, but no more than 5,000
United States Representative At least 2,000 signatures, but no more than 2,500
State Senator At least 200 signatures, but no more than 300
State Representative At least 50 signatures, but no more than 80


Before petitions can be submitted to the Maine Secretary of State, signatures must be verified by the registrar of voters or municipal clerk in the municipality where the signatures were collected. Petitions for independent candidates must be submitted for verification by 5 p.m. on May 25 (this date is set by state statutes; in the event that May 25 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day). For more information regarding specific petition requirements, see below.[4][2]

An independent candidate must also file a "Non-party Candidate's Consent" form. The form must include the candidate's address, a declaration that the candidate has not been enrolled in a qualified political party after March 1 of the election year, and a statement indicating that the candidate meets the qualifications for the office being sought. The candidate must sign the form before a notary public. The "Non-party Candidate's Consent" form must be filed along with the candidate's petition paperwork.[5][2]

The filing deadline is set by statute as 5 p.m. on June 1 of the election year. If June 1 falls on a non-business day, the deadline is extended to the next business day.[4]

For write-in candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 21-A, Chapter 9, Subchapter 3, Article 1, Section 722-A of the Maine Revised Statutes

In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate for either the primary or general election must file a declaration of write-in candidacy with the Maine Secretary of State by 5 p.m. on the 70th day prior to the election.[6]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Section 6 of Part 2 of Article 4 of the Maine Constitution states, "The Senators shall be 25 years of age at the commencement of the term, for which they are elected, and in all other respects their qualifications shall be the same as those of the Representatives."

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[7]
SalaryPer diem
$16,245.12 for the first regular session. $11,668.32 for the second regular session.$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Maine legislators assume office the day before the first Wednesday of December following the general election.[8][9]

Maine political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Maine Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R I I I I I I I I D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Senate D D D R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D D
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Presidential politics in Maine

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024

Due to nationwide changes in election administration in 2020, Ballotpedia is exercising increased caution before projecting election winners. Click here to read our new election calling policy and vote total update schedule.
Presidential election results in Maine, 2024

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Kamala D. Harris in round 1 .


Total votes: 831,375
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.


2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020

Presidential election results in Maine, 2020

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Joe Biden in round 1 .


Total votes: 819,461
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.


2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016
U.S. presidential election, Maine, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngHillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 47.8% 357,735 3
     Republican Donald Trump/Mike Pence 44.9% 335,593 1
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 5.1% 38,105 0
     Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.9% 14,251 0
     - Other/Write-in 0.3% 2,243 0
Total Votes 747,927 4
Election results via: Federal Election Commission


Maine presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 12 Democratic wins
  • 20 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R D D D D D D D D D


Redistricting following the 2020 census

On September 29, 2021, Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed legislation enacting redrawn state legislative district boundaries. The Maine Apportionment Commission approved final maps and submitted them to the legislature on September 27, 2021. The Maine Senate unanimously approved both maps by a vote of 31-0. The Maine House of Representatives approved new district boundaries for the state Senate by a vote of 129-0 and new state House district boundaries by a vote of 119-10.[10] These maps took effect for Maine’s 2022 legislative elections.


See also

Maine State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
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Maine State Executive Offices
Maine State Legislature
Maine Courts
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201920182017201620152014
Maine elections: 202320222021202020192018201720162015
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes


Current members of the Maine State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Matthea Daughtry
Majority Leader:Teresa Pierce
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Democratic Party (20)
Republican Party (15)