Maine Governor 2026
A sourced guide to the Maine governor race between Hannah Pingree and Bobby Charles: every public poll, the ratings and where official results will appear. This is not an endorsement.
The Maine governor race: history, data and the final week
At the final televised debate on Oct. 14, Charles accused Pingree, without evidence, of using her state job to benefit her family; the Bangor Daily News reported the allegations, involving films made by her husband, are not supported by the public record. Pingree tied Charles to President Trump, citing his support for the Iran war and his August remark about wanting ICE and marshals at voting booths, while Bennett, a former Maine GOP chair, cast himself as an alternative to both. Most October polls showed Pingree ahead, but Marist's Oct. 22-25 survey had Pingree and Charles tied at 44% among likely voters, with Bennett at 6%.
How this state voted before
Historic vote shares describe previous electorates, not a projection of the 2026 outcome.
Meet the candidates
Hannah Pingree
Former Speaker of the Maine House (2008-2010) and former director of the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation; she is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree and was endorsed by Gov. Janet Mills. She won the June 9 Democratic primary after ranked-choice tabulation, beating Nirav Shah 56%-44% in the final round.
Bobby Charles
Attorney and lobbyist who served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State from 2003 to 2005. He led the first round of the June 9 Republican primary and won the nomination after ranked-choice tabulation, 60.3% to Ben Midgley's 39.8% in the final round.
Also on the ballot: Independent Rick Bennett, state senator and former Maine Senate President and former Maine Republican Party chair
Ratings and money
Cook and Inside Elections rate it Solid D; Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Likely D. Recent polls disagree sharply (see below).
Per MultiState (citing the Portland Press Herald): Pingree has raised more than $4.2 million, Charles $1.8 million and Bennett $923,000; in mid-September the DGA-linked Pine Tree State Prosperity had more than $8 million in future ad bookings while national Republican groups had none.
Race timeline
Maine high court again says RCV can't be used in governor general elections
Party primaries (ranked-choice)
RCV tabulation confirms Pingree and Charles as nominees
Charles levels allegations against Pingree at Rockland news conference
Final televised debate (WMTW, Portland)
Election Day
Polls and polling average
Every public poll of Hannah Pingree vs. Bobby Charles we have tracked since Jun 26: 20 in all, 14 of them from independent pollsters that count toward the average. Updated October 31, 2026. Tap a dot for the poll’s details and source; switch to Margin for the clearest read on a phone. This is published polling, not a forecast.
Loading the interactive poll tracker… Every public poll we track for this race, newest first:
| Fielded | Pollster / source | Sample | Pingree (D) | Charles (R) | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23–Oct 27 | Data for Progress | 652 LV | 49 | 37 | D+12 |
| Oct 20–Oct 26 | CNN / SSRS Excluded | 783 LV | 53 | 39 | D+14 |
| Oct 22–Oct 25 | Marist University | LV | 44 | 44 | Tie |
| Oct 16–Oct 23 | Echelon Insights | 413 LV | 51 | 38 | D+13 |
| Oct 16–Oct 20 | Fox News / Beacon–Shaw | 1,514 LV | 49 | 39 | D+10 |
| Oct 8–Oct 11 | Suffolk University | 500 LV | 49 | 38 | D+11 |
| Sep 30–Oct 5 | Washington Post / George Mason | 800 LV | 49 | 36 | D+13 |
| Oct 1–Oct 4 | Marist University | 1,505 RV | 52 | 40 | D+12 |
| Sep 23–Oct 1 | CBS News / YouGov Excluded | 1,133 LV | 56 | 44 | D+12 |
| Sep 28–Sep 30 | co/efficient | 1,240 LV | 47 | 38 | D+9 |
| Sep 15–Sep 22 | New York Times / Siena | 619 LV | 47 | 34 | D+13 |
| Sep 20–Sep 22 | Fabrizio Ward (R) / Impact Research (D) Excluded | 982 LV | 52 | 39 | D+13 |
| Sep 17–Sep 21 | University of New Hampshire Survey Center | 1,312 LV | 48 | 40 | D+8 |
| Aug 28–Sep 14 | UMass Lowell / YouGov Excluded | 650 LV | 49 | 38 | D+11 |
| Sep 2–Sep 8 | YouGov | 1,335 LV | 47 | 36 | D+11 |
| Aug 31–Sep 6 | CNN / SSRS Excluded | 880 | 52 | 39 | D+13 |
| Aug 6–Aug 10 | Fox News / Beacon–Shaw | 1,000 RV | 49 | 38 | D+11 |
| Jul 15–Jul 20 | University of New Hampshire Survey Center | 1,178 LV | 49 | 35 | D+14 |
| Jun 23–Jun 27 | Fox News / Beacon–Shaw Excluded | 1,003 RV | 53 | 42 | D+11 |
| Jun 19–Jun 26 | New York Times / Siena | 608 LV | 50 | 36 | D+14 |
Source notebook
Selected sources for this page; every poll has its own source link in the table above. Reviewed 2026-10-31.
Corrections welcome: corrections@electiontracker.live. Independent coverage; no endorsement.
What to watch on November 3
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET (270toWin). Ranked-choice voting is used in Maine's primaries but NOT in the general election for governor, which is decided by plurality under the state constitution (Maine SJC advisory opinions of May 2017 and April 6, 2026), so the winner is whoever finishes first with no RCV tabulation; Bennett's share is the third-candidate number to watch.
Reading a race call: preliminary totals are unofficial. Media projections must name the projecting outlet; certification comes from authorized election officials.