The 2nd District candidates agree LePage won. The ranked choice runoff still starts today.
Nov 09, 2026 | 4:22 am ET
Description
Sealed ballot boxes are wheeled in on the first day of the ranked-choice tabulation to determine the winners of three Maine primaries held on June 9, 2026. Officials in the Secretary of State’s office began conducting the count at the Maine Department of Public Safety in Augusta on June 12, 2026. (Photo by Jim Neuger / Maine Morning Star)
The ranked choice runoff for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District starts today, even though the two candidates have agreed that former Gov. Paul LePage is Maine’s newest congressman.
The Maine Secretary of State’s Office announced Thursday that the election would head to ranked choice tabulation, after the Republican received 49.894% of votes. To avoid the runoff, he needed to get more than 50% of 2nd District votes.
Despite Dunlap’s concession, 2nd District race still headed to ranked choice runoff
After the announcement, Democrat Matt Dunlap conceded the race, but the Secretary of State’s Office said state law still requires that they run the ranked choice tabulation.
The office said the ranked choice process would begin Monday at 10 a.m. in Augusta.
The process is expected to take several days to complete, and the bulk of that time will be the secretary of state’s staff logging results from every ballot and checking multiple times to ensure the totals line up. Actually running the ranked choice tabulation formula produces results in a matter of minutes.
The tabulation process in Maine will be livestreamed on the Secretary of State’s YouTube page. The public is also invited to watch the process in-person.
Augusta, ME
