Politics of Maine
The U.S. state of Maine, like many other states, is active in both state politics and national politics.
In state politics, Maine tends to have more moderate politicians, with the state having had two independent governors. It is also one of the U.S.'s 17 alcoholic beverage control states, meaning that the state's government exercises control over the sale of alcoholic beverages like wine and beer.[1] The state of Maine has also legalized same-sex marriage (first in 2009 before a rollback later that year, then again in 2012).
At the national level, Maine is generally a
State and local politics
Year | Democratic
|
Republican
|
---|---|---|
1954 | 54.5% 135,673 | 45.5% 113,298 |
1956 | 59.2% 180,254 | 40.8% 124,395 |
1958 | 52.0% 145,673 | 48.0% 134,572 |
1962 | 49.9% 146,121 | 50.1% 146,604 |
1966 | 53.1% 172,036 | 46.9% 151,802 |
1970 | 50.1% 163,138 | 49.9% 162,248 |
1974 | 36.8% 132,219 | 23.5% 84,176 |
1978 | 47.8% 176,493 | 34.4% 126,862 |
1982 | 61.9% 281,066 | 38.1% 172,949 |
1986 | 30.2% 128,744 | 39.9% 170,312 |
1990 | 44.1% 230,038 | 46.7% 243,766 |
1994 | 33.8% 172,951 | 23.1% 117,990 |
1998 | 12.0% 50,506 | 18.9% 79,716 |
2002 | 47.2% 238,179 | 41.5% 209,496 |
2006 | 38.1% 209,927 | 30.2% 166,425 |
2010 | 18.8% 109,387 | 37.6% 218,065 |
2014 | 43.4% 265,125 | 48.2% 294,533 |
2018 | 50.9% 320,962 | 43.2% 272,311 |
2022 | 55.7% 376,934 | 42.4% 287,304 |
Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 360,770 | 44.03% | 435,072 | 53.09% | 23,619 | 2.88% |
2016 | 335,593 | 44.87% | 357,735 | 47.83% | 54,599 | 7.30% |
2012 | 292,276 | 40.98% | 401,306 | 56.27% | 19,598 | 2.75% |
2008 | 295,273 | 40.38% | 421,923 | 57.71% | 13,967 | 1.91% |
2004 | 330,201 | 44.58% | 396,842 | 53.57% | 13,709 | 1.85% |
2000 | 286,616 | 43.97% | 319,951 | 49.09% | 45,250 | 6.94% |
1996 | 186,378 | 30.76% | 312,788 | 51.62% | 106,731 | 17.62% |
1992 | 206,504 | 30.39% | 263,420 | 38.77% | 209,575 | 30.84% |
1988 | 307,131 | 55.34% | 243,569 | 43.88% | 4,335 | 0.78% |
1984 | 336,500 | 60.83% | 214,515 | 38.78% | 2,129 | 0.38% |
1980 | 238,522 | 45.61% | 220,974 | 42.25% | 63,515 | 12.14% |
1976 | 236,320 | 48.91% | 232,279 | 48.07% | 14,609 | 3.02% |
1972 | 256,458 | 61.46% | 160,584 | 38.48% | 229 | 0.05% |
1968 | 169,254 | 43.07% | 217,312 | 55.30% | 6,370 | 1.62% |
1964 | 118,701 | 31.14% | 262,264 | 68.80% | 256 | 0.07% |
1960 | 240,608 | 57.05% | 181,159 | 42.95% | 6 | 0.00% |
1956 | 249,238 | 70.87% | 102,468 | 29.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 232,353 | 66.05% | 118,806 | 33.77% | 627 | 0.18% |
1948 | 150,234 | 56.74% | 111,916 | 42.27% | 2,639 | 1.00% |
1944 | 155,434 | 52.44% | 140,631 | 47.45% | 335 | 0.11% |
1940 | 163,951 | 51.10% | 156,478 | 48.77% | 411 | 0.13% |
1936 | 168,823 | 55.49% | 126,333 | 41.52% | 9,084 | 2.99% |
1932 | 166,631 | 55.83% | 128,907 | 43.19% | 2,906 | 0.97% |
1928 | 179,923 | 68.63% | 81,179 | 30.96% | 1,069 | 0.41% |
1924 | 138,440 | 72.03% | 41,964 | 21.83% | 11,788 | 6.13% |
1920 | 136,355 | 68.92% | 58,961 | 29.80% | 2,524 | 1.28% |
1916 | 69,508 | 50.99% | 64,033 | 46.97% | 2,773 | 2.03% |
1912 | 26,545 | 20.48% | 51,113 | 39.43% | 51,982 | 40.10% |
1908 | 66,987 | 63.00% | 35,403 | 33.29% | 3,946 | 3.71% |
1904 | 65,432 | 67.44% | 27,642 | 28.49% | 3,949 | 4.07% |
1900 | 65,412 | 61.89% | 36,822 | 34.84% | 3,459 | 3.27% |
1896 | 80,403 | 67.90% | 34,587 | 29.21% | 3,429 | 2.90% |
1892 | 62,936 | 54.05% | 48,049 | 41.26% | 5,466 | 4.69% |
1888 | 73,730 | 57.49% | 50,472 | 39.35% | 4,051 | 3.16% |
1884 | 72,217 | 55.34% | 52,153 | 39.97% | 6,121 | 4.69% |
1880 | 74,052 | 51.46% | 65,211 | 45.32% | 4,640 | 3.22% |
1876 | 66,300 | 56.64% | 49,917 | 42.65% | 828 | 0.71% |
1872 | 61,426 | 67.86% | 29,097 | 32.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 70,502 | 62.41% | 42,460 | 37.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1864 | 67,805 | 59.07% | 46,992 | 40.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 62,811 | 62.24% | 29,693 | 29.42% | 8,414 | 8.34% |
1856 | 67,279 | 61.34% | 39,140 | 35.68% | 3,270 | 2.98% |
1852 | 32,543 | 39.60% | 41,609 | 50.63% | 8,030 | 9.77% |
1848 | 35,273 | 40.25% | 40,195 | 45.87% | 12,157 | 13.87% |
1844 | 34,378 | 40.48% | 45,719 | 53.83% | 4,836 | 5.69% |
1840 | 46,612 | 50.23% | 46,190 | 49.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
1836 | 14,803 | 38.21% | 22,825 | 58.92% | 1,112 | 2.87% |
In state
Maine is an alcoholic beverage control state.[1]
On May 6, 2009, Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage; however, the law was repealed by voters on November 3, 2009. On November 6, 2012, Maine, along with Maryland and Washington, became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage at the ballot box.[4]
Party registration as of October 2022[5] | ||
---|---|---|
Party | Total voters | Percentage |
Democratic | 339,103 | 37.48% |
Republican | 272,003 | 30.06% |
Unenrolled | 257,565 | 28.47% |
Green
|
35,061 | 3.88% |
Libertarian | 942 | 0.10% |
Total | 904,674 | 100.00% |
Federal politics
In the 1930s, Maine was one of very few states which retained
Since 1969, two of Maine's four electoral votes have been awarded based on the winner of the statewide election; the other two go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's two congressional districts. Every other state except Nebraska gives all its electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state at large, without regard to performance within districts. Maine split its electoral vote for the first time in 2016, with Donald Trump's strong showing in the more rural central and northern Maine allowing him to capture one of the state's four votes in the Electoral College.[6]
Maine has voted for Democratic Bill Clinton twice, Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won one of Maine's electoral votes with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton winning the other three. Although Democrats have mostly carried the state in presidential elections in recent years, Republicans have largely maintained their control of the state's U.S. Senate seats, with Edmund Muskie, William Hathaway and George J. Mitchell being the only Maine Democrats serving in the U.S. Senate in the past fifty years.
In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans made major gains in Maine. They captured the governor's office as well as majorities in both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since the early 1970s. However, in the 2012 elections Democrats managed to recapture both houses of Maine Legislature.
Maine's U.S. senators are Republican
Maine is the first state to have introduced ranked-choice voting in federal elections.[7]
See also
- As Maine goes, so goes the nation
- Maine Democratic Party
- Maine Republican Party
- Maine Green Independent Party
- Libertarian Party of Maine
- Political party strength in Maine
References
- ^ a b "Control State Directory and Info | National Alcohol Beverage Control Association". www.nabca.org. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ Leip, David. "General Election Results—Maine". United States Election Atlas. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Maine". US Election Atlas. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- The Huffington Post. November 7, 2012.
- Maine Secretary of State. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Trump takes 1 of Maine's 4 electoral votes, in a first for the state". November 8, 2016.
- ^ Seely, Katharine Q. (3 December 2016). "Maine Adopts Ranked-Choice Voting. What Is It, and How Will It Work?". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2017.