Pingree Secures 10th Term in Maine 1st District

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree has won reelection to Maine’s 1st Congressional District, securing her tenth term in office. The Associated Press called the race at 10:18 p.m. Tuesday after 25% of precincts reported results. At that point, Pingree held 66.2% of the vote, while Republican Ron Russell had 33.8%.

Russell, a defense contractor from Kennebunkport, is no stranger to this contest. He challenged Pingree in 2024 and lost by a 20-point margin. The 1st District has long been viewed as a Democratic stronghold, so few analysts expected a tight race this cycle.

Pingree addressed a packed crowd at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland around 10 p.m. She told supporters that her team knows what it must do to protect democracy and return the rule of law. She credited the voters for standing up every day since Donald J. Trump’s election.

"We've got our work cut out for us, but we know what we have to do to return the rule of law, to protect our democracy, to get rid of the corrupt mob operation in the White House, and we are going to do it," Pingree said. "But we're only going to do it because each and every one of you has stood up every day since the election of Donald J. Trump and fought back."

Pingree was joined at the event by her daughter, Hannah Pingree, who is running for governor, and Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Troy Jackson. Pingree noted that some larger races had not yet been called. She expressed hope for an extremely competent young woman as the next governor of Maine, drawing applause from the crowd.