State Auditor Matt Dunlap, a progressive Democrat, won the Democratic primary in northern Maine’s battleground Home district early Friday, based on state election officers.
The race name got here 10 days after voters went to the polls. Elections officers tabulated second-choice votes beneath the state’s ranked-choice system after no candidate gained greater than 50 % of the first-choice vote.
Mr. Dunlap, 61, superior out of a four-way major that included a centrist state senator, Joe Baldacci, and a progressive former congressional staffer, Jordan Wooden. Mr. Dunlap had narrowly trailed Mr. Baldacci within the preliminary depend of first-place votes, however was lifted to victory by second-choice ballots.
Mr. Baldacci was the runner-up, the Maine secretary of state’s workplace stated early Friday morning, after a protracted vote-counting course of.
Mr. Dunlap is ready to face the Republican nominee, former Gov. Paul LePage, within the November common election.
The congressional district, Maine’s Second, is presently held by Consultant Jared Golden, a centrist Democrat who’s vacating his seat. The district is rural and leans to the fitting; President Trump carried it in 2016, 2020 and 2024. It’s anticipated to supply Republicans certainly one of their greatest alternatives to flip a Home seat within the midterms.
Mr. Dunlap has sought to separate himself from Mr. Golden, questioning Mr. Golden’s determination to affix with Republicans on sure points.
“His votes confused lots of people,” Mr. Dunlap stated in a current interview.
In successful the congressional major, Mr. Dunlap overcame an intervention by the marketing campaign arm of Home Democrats, the Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee, which supported Mr. Baldacci, average.
However Mr. Dunlap received more than $500,000 from the Actual Change PAC, a mysterious new political motion committee, based on marketing campaign finance filings. The Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee stated the spending got here as a part of a Republican effort to meddle within the race. Mr. Dunlap’s marketing campaign stated it had advised the group to not spend on its race.
Mr. Dunlap sought to tell apart himself from Mr. Baldacci by dismissing what he referred to as his “incremental method” to governing. As an alternative, Mr. Dunlap referred to as for common well being care and common youngster care.
Mr. Dunlap was the Maine secretary of state from 2005 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2021. He’s a former line prepare dinner, fur trapper and nonprofit administrator. He grew up on a farm in Bar Harbor and now lives in Outdated City.
In pivoting to the final election, he’ll tackle Mr. LePage, a two-term governor with a popularity as a combative conservative showman. Mr. LePage once described himself as “Donald Trump earlier than Donald Trump.”
