The concession came less than two hours after the secretary of state’s office announced the election would be conducted on a ranked-choice basis.
AUGUSTA, Maine —
State Auditor Matt Dunlap (D) has conceded the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives to former Gov. Paul LePage (R), less than two hours after the Maine Secretary of State’s office announced the election would be conducted on a ranked-choice basis.
The Secretary of State’s office said as of 11 a.m. Thursday that there had been a total of 341,248 ballots cast, including 170,263 votes for LePage (49.894%), 164,845 votes for Dunlap (48.307%), 123 votes for declared write-in candidates (0.036%) and 6,107 blank votes (1.763%). The only declared registered candidate in this race is Gregory Ward, an independent.
In ranked-choice races, such as the race for CD2, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the first-choice votes counted on Election Day to win the race. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the total votes cast, the Secretary of State’s office makes the decision to conduct a ranked-choice vote count.
At 12:20 p.m., Dunlap’s campaign released a statement in which the Democratic candidate said his team does not currently believe ranked-choice voting would change the results of the race.
“This is not the result we were hoping for and I am disappointed that we did not succeed. Congratulations to Paul LePage, I wish him the best,” Dunlap said in a statement. “I want to thank all the volunteers who knocked on doors, made calls and made their voices heard. Your support has inspired me and I am honored to have worked alongside you over the past year.
“A huge congratulations to Congressman-elect Paul LePage on his election victory! Maine has been well served under the LePage administration, and we are grateful that he is returning to public service,” Maine Republican Party Chairman Jim Deyermond said in a statement. “Governor LePage brought common sense to the Blaine House, and now he’s bringing it to Washington, DC, on behalf of Congressional District 2. Paul LePage always puts people before politics, without fail. In Congress, he will fight to cut costs, keep our streets safe, and defend our freedoms. Thank you to all Mainers who voted for LePage and showed up to the polls. dedication.”
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said that even though Dunlap conceded the race, the ranking of choices still needs to be completed in order to have an election certified under state law.
These developments come a day after LePage declared victory in the race for the United States House of Representatives.
Brent Littlefield, a senior adviser to LePage, said he spoke with Bellows and the campaign was aware that early indications showed a small number of blank ballots and write-ins could trigger the ranked-choice tabulation process based on election officials’ interpretation of the law.
“It is very clear from the work of our campaign team (Wednesday) in speaking one-on-one with local clerks and from the numbers made public that Paul LePage is the elected representative,” Littlefield said in a statement. “Paul’s vote margin is extremely large. Decision Desk headquarters alone reports that Paul LePage has more than 4,400 votes more than Mr. Dunlap. This is consistent with our campaign’s estimate of a 4,500-vote lead when Paul declared victory. Paul LePage looks forward to working for all the people of Maine’s 2nd District. He will work with anyone, regardless of party, to put Maine first.”
Dunlap and LePage are battling to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden, a Blue Dog Democrat who announced nearly a year ago that he would not run for re-election.
“Four times the people of Maine’s 2nd District have chosen me to represent them in Congress. I know what an incredible honor it is to earn their trust. For their faith, I will always be grateful,” Golden said in a statement shared on social media. “I also know something about winning under difficult circumstances. So, I know you have to take your hat off to Paul LePage for winning in the midst of this blue tsunami. I’m ready to work with him to ensure the smooth transition that Mainers deserve.”
More info on CD2
Maine’s 2nd congressional district is the largest congressional district by area east of the Mississippi River. CD2 includes all of Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties, as well as the Kennebec County communities of Augusta, Belgrade, Chelsea, Farmingdale, Fayette, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Oakland, Randolph, Readfield, Rome, Sidney, Vienna, Wayne and Winthrop.
How Ranked Voting Works
Bellows said the first step in the process will be to verify each municipality’s vote totals to ensure accuracy.
“Once the election night totals have been verified, assuming no candidate received a majority of votes, which we are currently observing, we will proceed to tally the votes,” Bellows said in a statement.
When the ranking process begins, votes are divided into rounds, with the lowest-ranked candidate eliminated in each round until only two candidates remain. The candidate having obtained the majority of votes – more than 50% – in the final round is declared the winner.
Counting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at the Maine Department of Public Safety headquarters, located at 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. The process is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the Secretary of State’s YouTube page.
More information on the candidates
LePage has nearly 30 years of political experience, having first been elected to the Waterville City Council in 1997 and served two terms before being elected mayor of Waterville in 2003. He served as mayor for seven years and resigned in January 2011, when he was sworn in as governor after winning the 2010 gubernatorial election.
He was re-elected governor in 2014 and left office in January 2019, because anyone serving as governor of Maine cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. LePage ran for a third non-consecutive term as governor in 2022, but he failed to defeat incumbent Governor Janet Mills.
Dunlap is serving his second term as state auditor. He initially held this position from January 2021 to October 2021 and had to resign from his position because he failed the exams to become a chartered accountant, which is a requirement. A person who is not a CPA can be elected as Maine State Auditor, but must become one within nine months of taking office. Dunlap then became a CPA, and the Maine Legislature selected him again to serve as state auditor in November 2022.
Before becoming state auditor, Dunlap served as Maine’s secretary of state for two separate terms (2005-11, 2013-21). He also served in the Maine House of Representatives from December 1996 to January 2005.
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