| State: | Maine |
| District Number: | 2 |
| Image Name: | Maine's 2nd congressional district (since 2023).png |
| Image Width: | 300 |
| Image Caption: | Maine's 2nd congressional district since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Jared Golden |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Lewiston |
| Percent Urban: | 27.89 |
| Percent Rural: | 72.11 |
| Population: | 687,642 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $59,676 |
| Percent White: | 90.9 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 1.7 |
| Percent Black: | 1.5 |
| Percent Asian: | 0.8 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 4.0 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.3 |
| Percent Native American: | 0.8 |
| Cpvi: | R+6[1] |
Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering 27326sqmi, it comprises nearly 80% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland and Augusta metropolitan areas. It includes the cities of Lewiston, Bangor, Auburn, and Presque Isle. The district is represented by Democrat Jared Golden, who took office in 2019.
It is the largest district by area east of the Mississippi River, and the 24th largest overall. It is the second-most rural district in the United States, with 72% of its population in rural areas, and it has the second highest proportion of non-Hispanic White residents (94%); only Kentucky's 5th congressional district exceeds it in the two categories.[2] Furthermore, it is the only district in New England that voted for Donald Trump in 2020. Additionally, it was one of five districts that would have voted for Trump in 2020 had they existed in their current configuration while being won or held by a Democrat in 2022.
Until the Missouri Compromise was reached in 1820, Maine was a part of Massachusetts as the District of Maine. When it became a state in 1820, Maine had seven congressional districts credited to it (Massachusetts including Maine had been given 20 districts after the 1810 census). Since Maine became a state, all but two districts have been reallocated to other states.
In 2018, the district became the first in the United States to elect the ranked choice winner over the first-past-the-post winner, after a referendum in 2016 changed Maine's electoral system from the latter system to the former. Incumbent representative Bruce Poliquin won a plurality of the first preference votes. However, the second and third preferences from two independent candidates flowed overwhelmingly to Jared Golden, allowing him to win with 50.6% of the vote once all preferences were distributed.
Historically, the district has tended to keep its incumbents regardless of party. When Golden defeated two-term Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin in 2018, it was the first time an incumbent had lost reelection in the district since 1916.[3] Since 1965, the district's representatives have frequently sought statewide office. Three U.S. senators (Democrat William Hathaway and Republicans William Cohen and Olympia Snowe), one governor (Democrat John Baldacci), and one nominee for governor (Democrat Mike Michaud) all previously held the seat. Due to its size, the district's congressman is usually reckoned as a statewide figure; its footprint includes portions of all three television markets anchored in the state.
The boundaries of the district are open for reconsideration in light of population shifts revealed by the decennial US census. Until 2011, Maine's constitution provided for the state to reapportion the congressional districts based on census data every ten years beginning in 1983, which would have meant that the state was next due to consider redistricting in 2013. However, a federal lawsuit filed in March 2011 led to a requirement that Maine speed up its redistricting process.[4] Maine state legislators approved new boundaries on September 27, 2011.[5]
In US presidential elections, most states give all the state's electoral votes to the candidate that wins the statewide popular vote. This is a type of winner-takes-all voting. Maine and Nebraska instead use the congressional district method, where the winner in each of the state's congressional districts gets one electoral vote, and the statewide winner gets an additional two electoral votes. Since Maine introduced this system in 1969, Maine's second district voted the same way as the entire state of Maine for every election until 2016 and 2020.
| Year | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Nixon 62–38% | |
| 1976 | Ford 49–48% | |
| 1980 | Reagan 46–43% | |
| 1984 | Reagan 62–38% | |
| 1988 | Bush 55–45% | |
| 1992 | Clinton 38–33%–28% | |
| 1996 | Clinton 51–30% | |
| 2000 | Gore 47–46% | |
| 2004 | Kerry 52–46% | |
| 2008 | Obama 55–43% | |
| 2012 | Obama 53–44% | |
| 2016 | Trump 51–41% | |
| 2020 | Trump 52–45% |
| Member | Party | Years ↑ | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1821 | ||||||||
| align=left | Ezekiel Whitman | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1821 – June 1, 1822 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1820. Resigned. | 1821–1823 Cumberland County: Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Danville, Durham, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, Harpswell, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Portland, Pownal, Scarborough, Westbrook, Windham | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | June 1, 1822 – December 2, 1822 | ||||||
| align=left | Mark Harris | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | December 2, 1822 – March 3, 1823 | Elected to finish Whitman's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Stephen Longfellow | Adams-Clay Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | Elected in 1823. Lost re-election. | 1823–1833 Cumberland County: Brunswick, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Danville, Durham, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, Harpswell, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Poland, Portland, Pownal, Raymond, Scarborough, Standish, Westbrook, Windham | ||
| align=left | John Anderson | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1833 | Elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Retired to run for Mayor of Portland. | |||
Francis Smith | Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837 | Elected in 1833. Re-elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Lost re-election. | 1833–1843 | |||
| Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839 | ||||||
| align=left | Albert Smith | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 | Elected in 1838. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | William Pitt Fessenden | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 | Elected in 1840. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Robert P. Dunlap | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 | Elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1844. Retired. | 1843–1853 | ||
| align=left | Asa Clapp | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 | Elected in 1846. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Nathaniel Littlefield | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851 | Elected in 1848. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John Appleton | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853 | Elected in 1850. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Samuel Mayall | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 | Elected in 1852. Retired. | 1853–1863 | ||
| align=left | John J. Perry | Opposition | nowrap | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | Elected in 1854. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Charles J. Gilman | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859 | Elected in 1856. Retired. | |||
| align=left | John J. Perry | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 | Elected in 1858. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Charles W. Walton | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1861 – May 26, 1862 | Elected in 1860. Resigned on appointment as associate justice of Maine Supreme Judicial Court. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | May 26, 1862 – December 1, 1862 | ||||||
| align=left | Thomas Fessenden | Republican | nowrap | December 1, 1862 – March 3, 1863 | Elected to finish Walton's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Sidney Perham | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869 | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Retired. | 1863–1873 | ||
| align=left | Samuel P. Morrill | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871 | Elected in 1868. Lost renomination. | |||
William P. Frye | Republican | March 4, 1871 – March 17, 1881 | Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Resigned when elected U.S. senator. | |||||
| 1873–1883 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 17, 1881 – September 12, 1881 | ||||||
| align=left | Nelson Dingley Jr. | Republican | nowrap | September 12, 1881 – March 3, 1883 | Elected to finish Frye's term. Redistricted to the . | |||
| District inactive | nowrap | March 3, 1883 – March 3, 1885 | used | |||||
Nelson Dingley Jr. | Republican | March 3, 1885 – January 13, 1899 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898 but died before next term. | 1885–1893 | ||||
| 1893–1903 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 13, 1899 – June 19, 1899 | ||||||
Charles E. Littlefield | Republican | June 19, 1899 – September 30, 1908 | Elected to finish Dingley's term. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Resigned. | |||||
| 1903–1913 | ||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | September 30, 1908 – November 3, 1908 | ||||||
| align=left | John P. Swasey | Republican | nowrap | November 3, 1908 – March 3, 1911 | Elected to finish Littlefield's term. Also elected to the next full term. Lost re-election. | |||
Daniel J. McGillicuddy | Democratic | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1917 | Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Lost re-election. | |||||
| 1913–1923 | ||||||||
Wallace H. White Jr. | Republican | March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1931 | Elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||||
| 1923–1933 | ||||||||
| align=left | Donald B. Partridge | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1931 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1930. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Edward C. Moran Jr. | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937 | Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Retired. | 1933–1943 | ||
| align=left | Clyde H. Smith | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1937 – April 8, 1940 | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | April 8, 1940 – June 3, 1940 | ||||||
Margaret Chase Smith | Republican | June 3, 1940 – January 3, 1949 | Elected to finish her husband's term. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||||
| 1943–1953 | ||||||||
Charles P. Nelson | Republican | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1957 | Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Retired. | |||||
| 1953–1963 | ||||||||
| align=left | Frank M. Coffin | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1961 | Elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Retired to run for governor. | |||
| align=left | Stanley R. Tupper | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963 | Elected in 1960. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Clifford G. McIntire | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1962. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | 1963–1973 | ||
| align=left | William Hathaway | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973 | Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||
| align=left | William Cohen | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 | Elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | 1973–1983 | ||
Olympia Snowe | Republican | January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995 | Elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||||
| 1983–1993 | ||||||||
| 1993–2003 | ||||||||
| align=left | John Baldacci | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003 | Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired to run for governor. | |||
Mike Michaud | Democratic | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2015 | Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Retired to run for governor. | 2003–2013 Androscoggin County; Aroostook County; Franklin County; Hancock County; Oxford County; Penobscot County; Piscataquis County; Somerset County; Waldo County; Washington County; and part of Kennebec County: Benton, Clinton, Fayette, Litchfield, Oakland, Waterville, Wayne, and Winslow | ||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
| align=left | Bruce Poliquin | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2019 | Elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Lost re-election. | |||
Jared Golden | Democratic | January 3, 2019 – present | Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | |||||
| since 2023 | ||||||||
See main article: e.