Maine House District 2 winner LePage sets up major race with Democrats still awaiting nominee

Republicans want to flip a pro-Trump, Democratic-held House seat as part of their plans to hold onto their slim majority in the House.

Republican former Gov. Paul LePage is moving on to the general election in Maine’s 2nd District, NBC News projects, as the crowded Democratic field in one of the country’s most important battleground districts remains unresolved ahead of a ranked choice voting tabulation.

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The seat is being vacated by Jared Golden, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and a candidate who has held on to it repeatedly, even as Donald Trump carried the district in 2020 and 2024. His decision to retire jeopardizes Democrats’ ability to hold the seat, and Republicans are optimistic they can finally flip it.

Joe Baldacci, a state senator and son of a former governor, is the establishment pick, running with a boost from the House Democratic campaign committee and the top House Democratic super PAC. State Auditor Matt Dunlap, the former secretary of state, is running as a progressive, embracing “Medicare for All” and leaning on his decadeslong political career in the state.