Democratic incumbent Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) has been declared the winner in Maine’s 1st Congressional District, securing her tenth two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Bangor Daily News and its national partner Decision Desk HQ called the race for Pingree as soon as polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Associated Press did not declare Pingree the winner until 10:18 p.m., with just under 20% of precincts reporting. At the time, Pingree held a 66% lead over Republican challenger Ronald Russell.
Congressional District 1 covers much of southern and coastal Maine, including Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and York counties, and parts of Kennebec County.
Pingree previously faced Russell in 2024 and won reelection with 58.7% of the vote, a margin of approximately three to two.
She has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 20 years since her election in 2008. Previously, she served four terms in the Maine State Senate from 1992 to 2000, including four years as Senate majority leader.
Pingree is a ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee and serves on the House Agriculture Committee.
Russell, the Republican challenger, served 30 years in the U.S. Army, joining in 1976 after graduating from West Point and serving until 2006.
Following the 2020 election, Russell said he felt drawn to politics because he saw the country “going downhill from [his] perspective” and was “at a loss as to what to do to get it back on track.”
The Cook Political Report had rated Maine’s 1st Congressional District as “solid” for the Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Source link
