Maine's 2nd Congressional District

Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 92% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland and Augusta metropolitan areas. It includes the cities of Lewiston, Bangor, Auburn, and Presque Isle. The district is represented by Democrat Jared Golden, who took office in 2019.

It is the largest district by area east of the Mississippi River, and the 24th largest overall. It is the second-most rural district in the United States, with 72% of its population in rural areas, and it has the second highest proportion of non-Hispanic White residents (90.9%); only Kentucky's 5th congressional district exceeds it in the two categories. It voted for Republican Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024 and notably voted for Democratic Representative Jared Golden in both the 2020 and 2024 elections. It was one of six congressional districts in 2020 and 13 districts in 2024 that voted for Donald Trump for president while simultaneously electing a Democrat to the House of Representatives.

History

Until the Missouri Compromise was reached in 1820, Maine was a part of Massachusetts as the District of Maine. When it became a state in 1820, Maine had seven congressional districts credited to it (Massachusetts including Maine had been given 20 districts after the 1810 census). Since Maine became a state, all but two districts have been reallocated to other states.

In 2018, the district became the first in the United States to elect the ranked choice winner over the first-past-the-post winner, after a referendum in 2016 changed Maine's electoral system from the latter system to the former. Incumbent representative Bruce Poliquin won a plurality of the first preference votes. However, the second and third preferences from two independent candidates flowed overwhelmingly to Jared Golden, allowing him to win with 50.6% of the vote once all preferences were distributed.

Historically, the district has tended to keep its incumbents regardless of party. When Golden defeated two-term Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin in 2018, it was the first time an incumbent had lost reelection in the district since 1916. Since 1965, the district's representatives have frequently sought statewide office. Three U.S. senators (Democrat William Hathaway and Republicans William Cohen and Olympia Snowe), one governor (Democrat John Baldacci), and one nominee for governor (Democrat Mike Michaud) all previously held the seat. Due to its size, the district's congressman is usually reckoned as a statewide figure; its footprint includes portions of all three television markets anchored in the state.

The boundaries of the district are open for reconsideration in light of population shifts revealed by the decennial US census. Until 2011, Maine's constitution provided for the state to reapportion the congressional districts based on census data every ten years beginning in 1983, meaning that Maine redrew their districts after most states, who typically redraw them in time for the congressional election taking place immediately after the release of census data. However, a federal lawsuit filed in March 2011 led to a requirement that Maine speed up its redistricting process. As such, Maine's congressional map was redrawn in time for both the 2012 and 2022 congressional elections.

Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and municipalities:https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/cong_dist/cd118/cd_based/ST23/CD118_ME02.pdf
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; Androscoggin County (14)
: All 14 municipalities

; Aroostook County (64)
: All 64 municipalities

; Franklin County (21)
: All 21 municipalities

; Hancock County (37)
: All 37 municipalities

; Kennebec County (18)
: Augusta, Belgrade, Chelsea, Farmingdale, Fayette, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Mount Vernon, Oakland, Randolph, Readfield, Rome, Sidney, Vienna, Wayne, Winthrop

; Oxford County (36)
: All 36 municipalities

; Penobscot County (59)
: All 59 municipalities

; Piscataquis County (18)
: All 18 municipalities

; Somerset County (33)
: All 33 municipalities

; Waldo County (26)
: All 26 municipalities

; Washington County (44)
: All 44 municipalities

Recent election results from statewide races

In US presidential elections, most states give all the state's electoral votes to the candidate that wins the statewide popular vote. This is a type of winner-takes-all voting. Maine and Nebraska instead use the congressional district method, where the winner in each of the state's congressional districts gets one electoral vote, and the statewide winner gets an additional two electoral votes. Since Maine introduced this system in 1969, Maine's second district voted the same way as the entire state of Maine for every election until 2016. Republican Donald Trump won the district in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

List of members representing the district

Election history

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

See also

* Maine's congressional districts
* List of United States congressional districts

References

External links

*
*
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–presentFormer Congressman Bruce Poliquin's web site

{{Maine

02
North Maine Woods
Androscoggin County, Maine
Aroostook County, Maine
Franklin County, Maine
Hancock County, Maine
Kennebec County, Maine
Oxford County, Maine
Penobscot County, Maine
Piscataquis County, Maine
Somerset County, Maine
Waldo County, Maine
Washington County, Maine
Constituencies established in 1821
Constituencies disestablished in 1883
Constituencies established in 1885
1821 establishments in Maine
1883 disestablishments in Maine
1885 establishments in Maine