Paul LePage, a bombastic former governor of Maine who once described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump,” has defeated his progressive challenger, according to The Associated Press. He becomes the rare Republican in the midterms to flip a Democratic seat that hadn’t been redrawn.
Mr. LePage overcame a difficult national environment for Republicans to win Maine’s rural Second Congressional District, which covers most of the state’s land area and is dominated by the fishing and logging industries.
The district, which President Trump won in 2024 by 10 percentage points, is currently held by Representative Jared Golden, a moderate Democrat who is retiring.
Mr. LePage edged Matt Dunlap, a state auditor who aligned himself with labor unions and championed a universal government health insurance program called “Medicare for all” during his campaign.
By winning in Maine, Mr. LePage bucked a midterm trend in the state. Troy Jackson, a progressive Democrat, unseated Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, while Representative Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, handily won the other House seat in Maine, the First District. Democrats also held onto their statehouse trifecta.
Mr. LePage declared victory on Nov. 4, when he was leading by a slim margin and saw no path for his opponent to win, even though the race still had not yet been called. Mr. Dunlap conceded the next day, saying in an emailed statement that he believed the outcome would not change even with ranked-choice tabulation, which kicked in because neither candidate won more than 50 percent of the votes.
“You have to tip your hat to Paul LePage for winning in the midst of this Blue Tsunami,” Mr. Golden, the Democratic incumbent, wrote on social media last week, congratulating his successor.
Mr. LePage was born to an impoverished family and, before entering politics, worked in retail and management consulting, and for lumber and paper companies. He served as mayor of Waterville, Maine, from 2004 to 2011, then became governor. He served two consecutive terms, and was unable to seek re-election because of the state’s term limit laws. He left office in 2019.
As governor, Mr. LePage was an early supporter of Mr. Trump during his first presidential run. But, during his recent campaign, he distanced himself from the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canada and the president’s immigration policies.
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