2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the two U.S. representatives from the state of Maine, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections will coincide with the elections of other federal and state offices, including Governor of Maine and United States Senate. The primary elections were held on June 10, 2014.

This election marked the first time since 1994 that Maine elected a Republican into the House of Representatives.

Overview

Results of the 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Maine by district:

District 1

The 1st district includes covers the southern coastal area of the state, including all of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and York counties and most of Kennebec County. Located within the district are the cities of Portland, Augusta, Brunswick and Saco. The incumbent is Democrat Chellie Pingree, who has represented the district since 2009. She was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D+9.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Chellie Pingree, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Isaac Misiuk, former University of Southern Maine College Republicans president

=Declined

=
* Meredith Strang Burgess, former state representative

Results

Independents

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Richard Murphy, Maine National Guardsman

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

District 2

The 2nd district covers , comprising nearly 80% of the state's total land area. It is the largest district east of the Mississippi River and the 24th-largest overall. It is the second-most rural district in the United States, with 72.11% of its population in rural areas, behind only Kentucky's 5th congressional district. It includes most of the land area north of the Portland and Augusta metropolitan areas, including the cities of Bangor, Lewiston, Auburn and Presque Isle. The incumbent is Democrat Mike Michaud, who has represented the district since 2003. He was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2012 and the district has a PVI of D+2.

Michaud did not seek re-election, and was selected as Democratic nominee for Governor of Maine in the 2014 election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Emily Cain, state senator
* Troy Dale Jackson, Majority Leader of the Maine Senate

=Withdrew

=
* Alden Smith, navy reservist

=Declined

=
* Joe Baldacci, Bangor City Councilor
* John Baldacci, former governor and former U.S. Representative
* Matthew Dunlap, Secretary of State of Maine
* James Howaniec, attorney, former mayor of Lewiston and candidate for the seat in 1994
* Jeff McCabe, Assistant Majority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives
* Mike Michaud, incumbent U.S. Representative ( running for Governor)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Bruce Poliquin, former State Treasurer of Maine and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012
* Kevin Raye, former President of the Maine Senate and nominee for the seat in 2002 and 2012

=Withdrew

=
* Blaine Richardson, United States Navy veteran, and candidate for the seat in 2012 (unenrolled as a Republican, running as an Independent)
* Richard Rosen, director of the Maine Office of Policy and Management and former state senator
* Alexander Willette, Assistant Minority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives

=Declined

=
* Kenneth Fredette, Minority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives
* Jonathan LaBonte, Mayor of Auburn
* Paul LePage, Governor of Maine ( running for re-election)
* Garrett Mason, state senator
* Debra Plowman, former state senator
* Joshua Tardy, former Minority Leader of the Maine House of Representatives
* Michael Thibodeau, Minority Leader of the Maine Senate

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Independents

Candidates

=Declared

=
* Blaine Richardson, United States Navy veteran, and Republican candidate for the seat in 2012 (unenrolled as a Republican, running as an Independent)

General election

Campaign

Bruce Poliquin resisted invitations to debates where Blaine Richardson would be present, including one sponsored by MPBN. Political observers stated this might have been due to Richardson's potential to split the conservative vote. Emily Cain expressed support for Richardson being present at debates and said she will only attend debates where both of the other candidates are present. A debate to be held on WMTW-TV was cancelled after Cain pulled out to protest Richardson not being invited. WMTW said they and their parent company, Hearst Television, had strict criteria for invitations to debates that Richardson did not meet. This criteria included holding large campaign events, fundraising, and performance in polling, all of which WMTW said were not met.

On August 29, Richardson revealed, and Poliquin's campaign confirmed, that Richardson rejected a request from Poliquin to quit the race. A Poliquin spokesman stated the phone call was made because Richardson has "no chance" to win and "seems more interested in working with Emily Cain to bash Bruce rather than have a discussion about the future". Richardson said he would stay in the race and he was "so fed up with the parties, both of them". He also said that Poliquin asking him to quit was one of the biggest boosts for his campaign it has seen.

Endorsements

Polling

Results

See also

* 2014 United States House of Representatives elections
* 2014 United States elections

References

External links

U.S. House elections in Maine, 2014
at Ballotpedia
Campaign contributions
at OpenSecrets
Emily Cain for CongressTroy Jackson for CongressIsaac Misiuk for CongressRichard Murphy for CongressChellie Pingree for Congress
(not updated since 2012)
Bruce Poliquin for CongressKevin Raye for CongressBlaine Richardson for CongressAlden Smith for Congress

{{2014 United States elections

Maine
2014
United States House of Representatives