Politics · November 12, 2026
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage declared winner of Golden seat
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Republican Paul LePage has won the election for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, flipping a seat previously held by retiring Democrat Jared Golden. Following the November midterm elections, the race proceeded to a ranked-choice voting tabulation by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office because no candidate initially surpassed 50% of the vote. The final results, announced on Thursday, showed LePage with 50.8% and Democrat Matt Dunlap with 49.2%. LePage, a former governor, had already declared victory and attended freshman orientation in Washington prior to the official call, while Dunlap had conceded the race last week. This victory represents one of the few Republican gains in a midterm cycle where Democrats saw significant success nationally and in other Maine races.
Read the original coverage
Republican Paul LePage wins House race in Maine’s 2nd District
Read at Washington Post ↗- Maine Morning StarMBFC: Left
LePage prevails in 2nd District ranked choice runoff • Maine Morning Star
Read at Maine Morning Star ↗ Paul LePage, Ex-Governor of Maine, Flips House Seat to Republicans
Read at The New York Times ↗- Roll CallMBFC: Least Biased
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage declared winner of Golden seat
Read at Roll Call ↗ - The Epoch TimesMBFC: Right-Center
Republican Paul LePage Declared Winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional House Seat
Read at The Epoch Times ↗ - The Center SquareAllSides: Lean Right
LePage wins Maine
Read at The Center Square ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Paul LePage won the election for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District
- The seat was previously held by retiring Democrat Jared Golden
- The race was decided through Maine's ranked-choice voting system
- LePage received 50.8% of the final tabulated vote
- Democrat Matt Dunlap received 49.2% of the final tabulated vote
- The final tabulation results were announced by the Maine Secretary of State's Office on Thursday
- LePage is a former governor of Maine
Reported by only some outlets
- The Associated Press called the race on Thursday
- LePage attended freshman orientation at the Capitol before the official results
- Matt Dunlap conceded the race a week prior to the final tabulation
- LePage received 49.894% of the vote in the first round of counting
- The district was won by President Trump in 2024 by 10 percentage points
- Independent write-in candidate Gregory Ward was eliminated during the ranked-choice process
- The results remain unofficial until sent to Governor Janet Mills
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize that LePage's win occurred despite 'overwhelming support for Democrats around the country' and 'massive losses' for Republicans; characterize LePage as 'bombastic' and a 'rare Republican' to flip a seat not affected by redistricting
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
highlight the victory as flipping a Democratic seat and emphasize LePage's statement about working across party lines to 'put Maine first'
Centrist outlets tend to focus on…
focus on the procedural confirmation of the winner through the ranked-choice system and LePage's transition into his new role at orientation
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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