Why This Election Matters

The 2026 General Election will shape the direction of Maine, Greater Portland, and the communities we serve for years to come. Voters in our region will choose a new governor for the first time in eight years, along with one of Maine's two U.S. senators, a member of Congress, state legislators, Cumberland County officials, and numerous municipal leaders. This guide highlights contested races appearing on ballots throughout the Greater Portland region, along with key election dates and voting information. Because legislative districts and municipal ballots vary by community, the races included here will differ depending on where you live.

For members of the Portland Regional Chamber, these elections will help determine the leaders responsible for decisions that affect our businesses, employees, and communities - including the state budget and taxes, housing, workforce development, transportation, education, permitting and regulation, public safety, and the broader business climate.

The Portland Regional Chamber provides this guide as a nonpartisan resource to help members understand the candidates and offices appearing on their ballots. Candidate information is presented for informational purposes only and does not represent an endorsement or recommendation by the Chamber.

Election Information

Important Dates

Date	What to Know
October 5, 2026	In-person absentee voting begins at municipal clerk offices
October 13, 2026	Deadline to register to vote online or by mail
October 27, 2026	Deadline to register to vote through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
October 29, 2026	Deadline to request an absentee ballot (5:00 p.m.)
November 3, 2026	Election Day; same-day voter registration is available in person

Registering to Vote

You may pre-register to vote in Maine at age 16 if you are otherwise eligible. You must be 18 to vote in the November 3, 2026, General Election. Seventeen-year-olds who will turn 18 by November 3 may register and vote in this election.

The deadline to register online or by mail is October 13, 2026. Registration through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is available until October 27.

There is no deadline for registering in person at your municipal office, including on Election Day itself.

You can register online or find the paper form through the Secretary of State's voter registration page. A full explanation of voter eligibility is available on the state's Your Right to Vote in Maine page.

Absentee & In-Person Voting

Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot for any reason; no excuse is required. In-person absentee voting begins October 5, 2026, at municipal clerk offices.

Requests must be received by your municipal clerk by 5:00 p.m. on October 29, 2026, unless special circumstances apply, such as sudden illness or an unexpected absence.

Any eligible voter may apply for ongoing absentee voter status and, if approved, automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election for which the voter is eligible.

You can request a ballot using the Mail-In Ballot Request Form or find full details, including the absentee ballot tracking tool, on the state's Absentee Voting page.

Where & When to Vote

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polling places close at 8:00 p.m.; if you are in line by 8:00 p.m., you are still entitled to vote. Opening times vary by municipality.

Confirm your polling location and sample ballot before Election Day through the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service, or contact your municipal clerk directly for your polling place's exact opening time. You can also contact your municipal clerk if you are unsure whether you are registered or whether your registration is current.

Ranked-Choice Voting

Maine uses ranked-choice voting (RCV) in general elections for federal offices - U.S. Senate and U.S. House - when three or more candidates, or two candidates plus one or more declared write-in candidates, qualify for the race.

For the 2026 General Election, RCV applies to the U.S. Senate race because six declared write-in candidates qualified. It does not apply to Maine's 1st Congressional District because only two candidates qualified and no declared write-in candidate was filed.

Ranked-choice voting does not apply to general elections for Governor or the Maine Legislature; the Maine Constitution requires those offices to be decided by plurality. See the state's Resources for Ranked-Choice Voting page for details and sample ballots.

State law does not apply ranked-choice voting to general elections for Governor, the Legislature, or county offices. Municipal elections are governed by state municipal law and, where applicable, local charters. In the Chamber's service area, Portland and Westbrook have adopted ranked-choice voting for municipal elections through their charters, although there are no Westbrook council races in November.

About This Guide

This guide focuses on contested races within communities served by the Portland Regional Chamber. Municipal sections focus on contested city and town council races and, where applicable, local ballot questions; school board and other local offices are not included. Uncontested races and offices without a contested election are not included. Because ballots vary by municipality and legislative district, voters should confirm their individual ballot with their city or town clerk before Election Day.

Candidate listings: This guide profiles candidates whose names appear on the printed ballot. Declared write-in candidates are noted where relevant but are not profiled individually.

Race information in this guide is drawn from the Maine Secretary of State's official 2026 general election candidate list, the 2026 Candidate Withdrawals and Replacement Nominations list, and the Declared Write-In Candidates list. For the state's full, official election guide, see the Secretary of State's Upcoming Elections page.

Statewide & Federal Elections

Governor of Maine

For the first time since 2018, Maine voters will elect a new governor. Governor Janet Mills is unable to seek a third consecutive term, leaving the office open. Three candidates appear on the printed ballot: independent Rick Bennett, Republican Bobby Charles, and Democrat Hannah Pingree.

Two additional candidates filed as declared write-in candidates for Governor by the August 25, 2026 deadline and are not profiled here.

Rick Bennett Independent

Rick Bennett is the independent candidate for governor. He served in the Maine House and Senate, including as Senate President, and previously chaired the Maine Republican Party. Bennett left the Republican Party in 2025 to run for governor as an independent. He founded ValueEdge Advisors, a consulting firm, in 2014. Bennett, who holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern Maine, lives in Oxford with his wife, Karen. (Source: Portland Press Herald; Maine Public; ValueEdge Advisors)

Bobby Charles Republican Party

Bobby Charles is the Republican nominee for governor. An attorney who grew up in Wayne, Maine, he attended Maranacook High School, Dartmouth College, Oxford University, and Columbia Law School. He served as assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs from 2003 to 2005 and previously served in naval intelligence. He later worked as an attorney and consultant and now lives in Leeds. (Source: Bangor Daily News)

Hannah Pingree Democratic Party

Hannah Pingree is the Democratic nominee for governor. She served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, including two years as Speaker beginning in 2008. Pingree, who grew up on North Haven, has also directed the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and as a local school board member. She holds a B.A. from Brown University. (Source: Portland Press Herald; Maine Public)

United States Senate

Republican incumbent Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. She faces Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate.

This race uses ranked-choice voting. Six declared write-in candidates qualified by the August 25, 2026, deadline, triggering Maine's RCV requirements for the race. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the ranked-choice tabulation process will be used. The declared write-in candidates are not profiled in this guide, but their names will be available to voters at polling places.

Susan Collins Republican Party | Incumbent

Susan Collins is the Republican incumbent seeking a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. She was first elected in 1996 after serving as Maine's commissioner of professional and financial regulation and previously worked for Sen. William Cohen. Collins, who was born in Caribou, is the most senior Republican woman in the Senate and has chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2025. (Source: U.S. Senate official biography; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress)

Troy Jackson Democratic Party

Troy Jackson is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. A fifth-generation logger from Allagash, he served in the Maine House beginning in 2002 and in the Maine Senate beginning in 2008, including as Senate President from 2018 to 2024. Jackson became the party's U.S. Senate nominee in July 2026. (Source: Bangor Daily News; Portland Press Herald; official Maine Senate biography)

United States House of Representatives - District 1

All communities served by the Portland Regional Chamber are located within Maine's 1st Congressional District. Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree is seeking her tenth term in Congress. She faces Republican Ron Russell, running against Pingree for the third consecutive election.

No write-in candidates were declared for this race by the August 25, 2026, filing deadline. With two candidates on the ballot, this race is not subject to ranked-choice voting.

Ron Russell Republican Party

Ron Russell is the Republican nominee for Maine's 1st Congressional District. Raised in Fort Fairfield and a graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Russell served roughly 30 years in the U.S. Army, including as an airborne Ranger and Green Beret. After retiring from the military, he founded Far Ridgeline Engagements, a defense contracting company. (Source: Maine Morning Star; WMTW; Maine Public)

Chellie Pingree Democratic Party | Incumbent

Chellie Pingree is the Democratic incumbent seeking her tenth term representing Maine's 1st Congressional District. Pingree, who’s a graduate of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, was first elected to Congress in 2008 after serving in the Maine Senate, including as Senate Majority Leader. Before entering Congress, she was an organic farmer and small-business owner on North Haven and served on the local school board and as town tax collector. (Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress; Maine Morning Star)

Maine Legislature

The following are the contested Maine State Senate and Maine State House races within the Chamber's service area. Uncontested districts are not included. Ranked-choice voting does not apply to these general-election races; they are decided by plurality.

Maine State Senate

District	Communities Represented	Candidates
26	Windham, Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Westbrook	Kenneth Cianchette (R) Timothy Nangle (D) - Incumbent
29	Cape Elizabeth and South Portland	Anne Carney (D) - Incumbent Vincent Maietta (R)
30	Gorham and part of Scarborough	M. Thad Moody (R) Sophia Warren (D)

Districts 25, 27, and 28 (Falmouth/Cumberland, Portland, and Portland, respectively) are uncontested this cycle and are not listed.

Maine House of Representatives

District	Communities Represented	Candidates
108	Gorham	Kelly Dearborn (R) Parnell Terry (D) - Incumbent
109	Gorham	Diana Kushnar (R) Seven Siegel (D)
110	Cumberland	Jason Lewis Copp (R) Christian R.C. Mitchell (D) - Incumbent
112	Falmouth and part of Portland	Lauren Jones (R) Sean Mahoney (D)
119	Peaks Island and part of Portland	Michael Dixon (D) Jacob Wakem (R)
121	South Portland and Cape Elizabeth	Lucy Perkins (D) Meagan Smith (R)
124	Scarborough	Scott Doherty (R) Mary Lindstrom (Independent) Eric Nathanson (D)
126	Scarborough, Westbrook, and part of Saco	Andrew Gattine (D) - Incumbent Ethan Mongue (R)
128	Westbrook	Lawrence McWilliams (Unenrolled) Suzanne Salisbury (D) - Incumbent

Districts 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 122, 123, 125, and 127 are uncontested this cycle and are not listed. District 120 (South Portland) had a declared Republican candidate who withdrew in June without a replacement filed.

Additional Legislative Election Resources

Scarborough Legislative Debate: The Scarborough Democratic and Republican Town Committees jointly hosted a State Candidates Night on September 29, featuring candidates for Cumberland County District Attorney and Scarborough’s state legislative races. Click here to watch the debate.

Westbrook Legislative Debate: The Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber organized a Legislative Forum on September 29. Click here to watch the debate.

County Elections

Cumberland County District Attorney

Incumbent District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris is seeking a second term. She faces former Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, who served in the position for nearly three decades.

Cumberland County offices are decided by plurality voting; ranked-choice voting does not apply.

Stephanie Anderson

Stephanie Anderson is running for Cumberland County District Attorney as an unenrolled candidate. She served as the county's district attorney from 1990 to 2018. Anderson, who holds a B.A. from the University of Maine in Orono and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law, currently serves on the Cape Elizabeth Town Council and previously ran for the Maine Senate in 2020. (Source: Portland Press Herald)

Jacqueline Sartoris Incumbent

Jacqueline Sartoris is the Democratic incumbent seeking a second term as Cumberland County District Attorney. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. She worked as a prosecutor before her 2022 election as DA and previously served four terms on the Brunswick Town Council. (Source: Portland Press Herald)

Cumberland County Commissioner - District 3

District 3 represents Brunswick, Cumberland, Chebeague Island, Freeport, Harpswell, Long Island, North Yarmouth, Pownal, and Yarmouth.

Candidates
Amy Leshure (D) Robert Vail (Unenrolled)

Municipal Elections

Municipal races vary significantly by community. The candidates below represent contested municipal races within the Chamber's service area appearing on the November 3, 2026, ballot. The Secretary of State does not oversee municipal elections; voters should confirm local election information with their municipal clerk.

Some Greater Portland communities, including Cumberland and Falmouth, hold their municipal elections in June, concurrent with the state primary. Those races are not included here because they were decided earlier this year and are not on the November ballot.

City of Portland

Portland elections & voting information

Portland voters will elect three members of the City Council in November: one at-large councilor and councilors representing Districts 4 and 5. District 4 incumbent Anna Bullett is seeking reelection, while the at-large and District 5 seats are open following the decisions of April Fournier and Kate Sykes not to seek reelection.

Portland's City Council races are decided by ranked-choice voting under the city's own charter (Section 3-102) - separate from the state ranked-choice voting law described in Election Information above. Voters rank the candidates in each race in order of preference rather than selecting only one. See the city's Ranked-Choice Voting FAQ for details on how ballots are counted.

At-Large City Council
Atiim Boykin Joey Brunelle Kate Snyder

Incumbent April Fournier is not seeking reelection to this seat. She is running instead for Maine House District 114; an uncontested race not covered in this guide.

District 4 City Council
Anna Bullett - Incumbent Jake Viola

District 5 City Council
Todd Chretien Jakobi Delgado Kevin Gardella Ilma Lopez

South Portland

South Portland elections & voter registration

South Portland has three City Council seats on the November ballot, representing Districts 1, 2 and 5. Districts 1 and 2 are uncontested, while District 5 is contested between Mayor and incumbent councilor Elyse Tipton and John Holman III. South Portland voters will also decide an $88.6 million bond referendum for new police and fire facilities.

South Portland City Council races are decided by plurality voting; ranked-choice voting does not apply.

District 5
John Holman III Elyse Tipton - Incumbent

Districts 1 and 2 are uncontested this cycle - Carter Scott (incumbent, District 1) and Ellen Clancy (District 2) are each unopposed - and are not listed.

Bond Referendum Question - South Portland

South Portland voters will also decide a bond referendum to fund new police and fire facilities. The $88.6 million bond would pay for a new police station at Cash Corner (on the site of the former Walgreens) and a new central fire station, replacing the city's current facilities on Broadway/Anthoine Street, which date to 1955 and 1967. The project would be financed in two phases, beginning with the police station. The city estimates the bond would add about $267 per year in property taxes for a home valued at $514,000 once the first phase is financed, rising to roughly $534 per year once the second phase is financed.

More information, including the full ballot question and project details, is available on the city's Public Safety Buildings page.

Cape Elizabeth

Cape Elizabeth elections & voting

Cape Elizabeth holds its municipal election in November. Two Town Council seats are on this year's ballot, with four candidates confirmed by the town.

Cape Elizabeth Town Council races are decided by plurality voting; ranked-choice voting does not apply.

Town Council (2 seats)
Stephanie P. Anderson - Incumbent Elizabeth A. Biermann Christopher A. Gorski Timothy L. Thompson - Incumbent

Scarborough

Scarborough elections

Three Town Council seats are on this year's ballot, with seven candidates qualified. The Scarborough Community Chamber helped organize Candidates Night on September 22, allowing residents to find out more about candidates on the ballot in November. Click here to watch a recording of the event.

Scarborough Town Council races are decided by plurality voting; ranked-choice voting does not apply.

Town Council (3 seats)
Isha Agarwal Lawrence W. Cain - Incumbent Samuel Cofone Sean Flaherty Denise Hamilton Jessica Sargent Russell Werts

Local Ballot Question - Public Safety Radio Communications Bond
Scarborough voters will consider a proposed $6 million bond for a public-safety radio communications upgrade, after the Town Council unanimously approved placing the question on the November 3 ballot. The proposed project would modernize and integrate radio communications used by public safety, public service, and school departments in Scarborough and Old Orchard Beach. More information: Scarborough Public Safety Radio Communications Upgrade.

Gorham

Gorham election & voting information

Two Town Council seats are on this year's ballot, with four candidates confirmed by the Town Clerk. The Gorham Community Chamber helped organize Meet the Candidates Night on September 23, allowing residents to find out more about candidates on the ballot in November. Click here to watch a recording of the event.

Gorham Town Council races are decided by plurality voting; ranked-choice voting does not apply.

Town Council (2 seats)
Roger Kramer Suzanne Phillips - Incumbent Samuel “Sam” Purinton Charles “Lou” Simms - Incumbent

Local Referendum Question - Gorham High School Facilities Bond

Gorham voters will consider a bond of up to $6.69 million to fund improvements at Gorham High School, including parking, sidewalks, ADA accessibility and drainage improvements; replacement of older portable classrooms with six connected classroom spaces; and replacement of windows, doors and brick veneer. The proposed bond would be repaid over 15 years. More information: The Gorham Times

Other Chamber Communities

Cumberland and Falmouth held municipal elections in June 2026 and do not have municipal races on the November ballot. Westbrook's City Council members serve staggered three-year terms and were last elected in November 2025; none of Westbrook's seats are on the November 2026 ballot. For more information about elections in each municipality, please visit their respective websites: Cumberland / Falmouth / Westbrook

Voting Resources

Before heading to the polls, voters should:

Confirm their voter registration status
Review their sample ballot
Verify their polling location and hours
Request an absentee ballot if needed
Contact their municipal clerk with questions about local voting

Municipal clerks can assist with voter registration, polling locations, and other election-related questions. For official state resources, see the Secretary of State's Upcoming Elections page, the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service, or the Listing of Municipal Clerks and Registrars.

Chamber Member Voter Guide