Toss-up Maine House race moves to ranked-choice tabulation with Golden, Theriault separated by 1,414 votes
A closely watched race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District between incumbent Democrat Rep. Jared Golden and his Republican challenger Austin Theriault is heading to a ranked-choice tabulation after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote. The outcome of this race, along with several others, will determine whether Democrats maintain control of the House of Representatives or lose it to Republicans, especially with President-elect Donald Trump poised to return to the White House in January.
As of Friday morning, with nearly 98% of the vote counted, Golden is leading Theriault by just 1,414 votes. Golden had initially declared victory on Wednesday, stating that he was ahead by around 3,000 votes with very few outstanding ballots. However, the race is now heading to a ranked-choice tabulation in Augusta next week after the Maine secretary of state announced that no candidate had reached a majority.
Both Golden and Theriault were competing for the House seat alongside write-in candidate Diane Merenda. Since no candidate received a majority, second-choice votes from Merenda supporters and ballots without a first-choice mark will be redistributed among the candidates’ totals during the ranked-choice tabulation. Theriault has indicated that he plans to request a recount following the tabulation.
Golden’s campaign emphasized that the rules for a ranked-choice runoff only apply if no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice votes. They noted that Golden had garnered more than 50% of the first-choice votes when the clerks reported returns on Tuesday. Golden’s campaign expressed a willingness to proceed with a recount by hand to ensure an accurate count and a final result that reflects the will of the people.
Theriault acknowledged the historic closeness of the race, calling it the closest federal or statewide race in modern Maine political history. He urged transparency and accuracy in the counting process to ensure that the final result accurately reflects the voters’ intentions.
The Maine secretary of state’s office has not yet provided a response to inquiries about the race. With the outcome of this race and others still uncertain, the balance of power in the House remains undecided, with Republicans holding 211 seats and Democrats holding 199 seats. A total of 218 seats are needed for a majority, making the outcome of races like Golden vs. Theriault crucial in determining the future control of the House of Representatives.
