Republican candidate Austin Theriault concluded the recount for his congressional race in Maine on Wednesday, ultimately conceding defeat to Democratic Congressman Jared Golden. This decision came a month after Election Day, marking the end of a closely observed electoral battle.
Theriault opted to cease the recount as initial findings revealed little to no change in the results, with Golden securing victory by a margin of 2,706 votes through Maine’s ranked-choice voting system. In his statement, Theriault emphasized the campaign’s focus on prioritizing people over politics, acknowledging that it was now time to act on that principle. He referred to the race as an “extremely close and hard-fought contest.”
The election process was prolonged due to both the ranked-choice voting system and the subsequent recount. Although Theriault garnered the highest number of first-choice votes, he did not achieve a majority, receiving just under 49% of the total votes cast. Approximately 12,000 ballots were either blank or designated for write-in candidates, leading to the necessity for an additional voting round that involved transporting ballots to Augusta for reallocation based on voters’ second choices.
The winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District was confirmed a week after Election Day, following an official announcement that the recount had commenced earlier that week. This particular race drew significant financial attention, attracting upwards of $50 million in expenditures as both political parties strove for control over the House of Representatives.
Jared Golden, a Marine Corps veteran known for his bipartisan approach, campaigned on his track record of collaborating with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He also highlighted his support for the lobster industry, a vital economic sector in Maine. However, he faced criticism for his stance against assault weapons, a position he adopted following a tragic mass shooting in Lewiston, which resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals and left 13 others wounded in October 2023.
Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, had the endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump and positioned himself as a candidate capable of fostering unity in a polarized political landscape. “We need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” Theriault remarked during his campaign.
This marks the third time that Golden has emerged victorious through an additional round of voting facilitated by the ranked-choice system. This innovative electoral mechanism permits voters to rank candidates on their ballots and conduct additional rounds of voting to ensure that the eventual winner holds a majority. Golden previously utilized this system to defeat Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin in 2018 and again in their rematch in 2022.