Maine is weird. I mean that in the best way possible, especially when you look at how they handle elections. Most states just dump all their electoral votes into one bucket and hand them to whoever got 50.1% of the vote. Not Maine. They’ve been doing things differently since the 70s, and the 2024 results really drove home why that matters. If you’re trying to figure out who won in Maine, the answer isn't just one name—it’s actually two.
Basically, Kamala Harris won the state overall, but Donald Trump didn't walk away empty-handed. Because of Maine’s Congressional District method, the state split its four electoral votes. Harris took three, and Trump took one. This wasn't a fluke. It was a repeat of 2016 and 2020. It tells a story of two very different Maines: the coastal, more urban south and the rugged, vast, and very conservative north.
You’ve got to understand that Maine is one of only two states—Nebraska being the other—that doesn't use a winner-take-all system. This quirk turns the state into a mini-battleground every four years. While the "blue" parts of the state are reliably Democratic, that second district? It’s a whole different world.
The Numbers: Breaking Down the Split
Let’s get into the weeds of the tally. Statewide, the popular vote favored Kamala Harris. She secured the two electoral votes that go to the overall winner of the state. She also handily won the First Congressional District (ME-1). That’s the area covering Portland, Augusta, and the coast. It’s wealthier, more educated, and frankly, much more liberal than the rest of the state.
Donald Trump won the Second Congressional District (ME-2).
This is the largest district east of the Mississippi River. It’s huge. We're talking about the North Woods, the potato farmers in Aroostook County, and the mill towns that have been struggling for decades. Trump has a massive hold here. In 2024, he maintained that grip, securing the single electoral vote tied to that district.
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The margins matter. In the First District, the Democratic lead was decisive. In the Second, Trump’s appeal to working-class voters and rural residents remained rock-solid. It’s a divide that has defined Maine politics for a generation. Honestly, if you drive from Kennebunkport up to Presque Isle, you’ll see the political shift happening in real-time through the window of your car. The lawn signs change from blue to red faster than the leaves change in October.
Why the Second District is Always the Story
People focus on ME-2 because it’s a bellwether for the "forgotten" parts of New England. While the rest of the region—Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut—is deep blue, Northern Maine feels more like the Rust Belt or the rural Midwest.
The 2024 race in the Second District wasn't just about the presidency, though. It was about identity. Jared Golden, the Democratic Congressman for that district, had to navigate a razor-thin line to keep his seat. He’s one of the few "Blue Dog" style Democrats left who can actually win in Trump country. The fact that Trump won the district at the presidential level while the local Congressional race remained incredibly tight shows how sophisticated Maine voters are. They split their tickets. They don't just vote for a "team" every time.
A lot of folks expected the 2024 margins to shift significantly because of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's rulings on ballot access earlier in the year, or because of the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system. But when the dust settled, the results looked remarkably similar to the previous two cycles. Stability in a time of chaos.
Ranked Choice Voting: Did it Change the Winner?
Maine loves to experiment. They were the first to adopt Ranked Choice Voting for statewide elections. Basically, if no one gets over 50%, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes are redistributed based on the voters' second choices.
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In the presidential race, it didn't really flip the script.
Harris had enough of a lead statewide that the "instant runoff" didn't change the ultimate outcome of who won in Maine's two "at-large" votes. However, RCV is a huge deal in the smaller races. It forces candidates to try and be someone’s second choice, which in theory, should lead to less "nasty" campaigning. Does it work? Ask ten Mainers and you'll get twelve different opinions. Some think it’s the future of democracy; others think it’s a confusing mess that delays results.
The delay is real, by the way. Because the state has to collect all the physical memory sticks from town clerks across a massive, rural landscape and bring them to a central location in Augusta to run the RCV software, we usually don't know the final, final count for days.
The Down-Ballot Impact
You can't talk about who won in Maine without mentioning the state legislature. While the top of the ticket gets the headlines, the local control in Augusta shifted slightly but stayed generally in Democratic hands. This is crucial because it affects everything from the state’s aggressive climate goals to how they handle the ongoing housing crisis in Portland.
Maine voters also faced several referendums. Mainers love a good ballot initiative. They’ve voted on everything from recreational marijuana to the state flag in recent years. In 2024, these local issues often drove higher turnout than the presidential race itself in some small towns.
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- The First District: Remains a Democratic stronghold, influenced by the growing population in Cumberland and York counties.
- The Second District: Remains the "Trump Country" of New England, focused on 2nd Amendment rights, forest products, and traditional industries.
- The Youth Vote: Interestingly, the University of Maine system saw a surge in engagement, but it was split. Orono (UMaine's main campus) stayed blue, but many students from rural towns stayed true to their roots.
Common Misconceptions About Maine’s Results
One big mistake national pundits make is assuming Maine is "in play" for Republicans. It’s not. Not really. While Trump wins a single electoral vote, the state hasn't gone Republican overall since George H.W. Bush in 1988. He was practically a local, so that barely counts.
Another myth is that the split vote is "unfair."
Actually, many Mainers are incredibly proud of it. They feel it represents the "Two Maines" better than a winner-take-all system ever could. It forces presidential candidates to actually show up in places like Bangor or Lewiston, rather than just doing a fundraiser in a wealthy coastal enclave and leaving. In 2024, we saw both campaigns send surrogates to the Second District because they knew that one single electoral vote could, in a very tight national race, be the difference between a win and a loss in the Electoral College.
What This Means for the Future
Maine is a laboratory. What happens there—the split electoral votes, the ranked-choice voting, the intense independent streak—is often a preview of what other states might try.
Looking ahead to 2026 and 2028, the "Maine Model" is likely to stay. There have been attempts by some politicians to move back to a winner-take-all system to prevent the "split," but they usually die in committee. Mainers value their independence too much to give up their unique voice on the national stage.
If you're looking for actionable insights on how to interpret these results for future cycles, keep your eyes on the margins in ME-2. If a Republican can’t win that district by at least 5-7 points, they are likely struggling nationwide with rural, white, working-class voters. Conversely, if a Democrat can't win the state by double digits, they are losing their grip on the suburban "Persuadables."
Next Steps for Understanding Maine Politics:
- Monitor the Secretary of State’s Official Tabulations: Don't rely on "called" races on election night; Maine's RCV process means the official certification often takes weeks.
- Study the Town-by-Town Map: The real story isn't the counties; it’s the towns. Look at the "Purple" towns along the I-95 corridor to see where the cultural shift is happening.
- Track Legislative Changes: Watch the Maine State House in Augusta for any moves to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which would effectively end the split-vote system if it ever goes live.
- Follow Local Journalists: Reporters from the Portland Press Herald and the Bangor Daily News provide nuance that national outlets miss, especially regarding the fishing and timber industries' influence on voting patterns.