Cities and towns across Maine, including Portland, will conduct primary elections on Tuesday, when voters will have the first opportunity to throw their support behind the state’s next governor, pick a Republican to challenge the Democratic incumbent who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in November, and choose a Democrat who will be unopposed in November to serve as Cumberland County district attorney.
Primary elections determine each political party’s nomination of candidates for federal, state and county offices. Candidates who are elected at the primary will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
According to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office, positions that will be represented in the 2022 primary election include governor, both U.S. House of Representatives districts, all 35 state Senate districts, all 151 Maine House districts, and a number of county offices: judge of probate, register of probate, county treasurer, register of deeds, sheriff, district attorney and county commissioner.
In many Maine communities, such as Portland, there will be special local elections and school budget validation votes on Tuesday.
In a potentially hotly contested race for the Republican nomination to represent the 2nd Congressional District, Bruce Poliquin will face off against newcomer Liz Caruso of Caratunk. Poliquin’s name hasn’t appeared on a state ballot since 2018.
The Republican primary winner will take on two-term U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a 39-year-old Lewiston Democrat, and Tiffany Bond, 45, a Portland independent, in the Nov. 8 general election. Golden won the job four years ago by narrowly defeating Poliquin in the first ranked-choice election held for a federal elected office.
Caruso, 52, is viewed by political pundits as the underdog, but they have not ruled out an upset. Poliquin’s campaign took public notice of Caruso for the first time after Memorial Day to issue a blistering email assailing Caruso, a move she cited as evidence that he is “freaking out and scared” that she might win on Tuesday.
Poliquin, a 68-year-old from Orrington with far more campaign cash than his opponent, is considered a safe bet by party leaders to defeat Caruso, who has been hampered by an inability to reach many Republican voters and a distinct lack of name recognition in much of the sprawling district, which is among the most rural in America and the largest east of the Mississippi River.
Though voters will see some familiar names on Tuesday’s primary ballot for governor and 1st Congressional District, they will have to wait until November before their votes will make a difference.
Republican Paul R. LePage of Edgecomb is running unopposed for the Republican Party nomination to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet T. Mills of Farmington, who is also running unopposed in Tuesday’s primary.
Incumbent 1st District U.S. Rep. Chellie M. Pingree of North Haven is running unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination, as is her Republican challenger, Edwin Thelander of Bristol.
Incumbent Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce of Standish is running unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination, as is Paul Aranson of Scarborough for judge of probate. There are no Republicans running for either post in Cumberland County.
Most municipal polling places will remain open from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m., although the hours could vary from town to town.
A statewide list of polling places and times is available at: https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/pdf/votingplacereport6.14.22.pdf.
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