Political party strength in Maine

Politics in the US state of Maine

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The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Maine:

* Governor

The table also indicates the historical party composition in the:

* State Senate
* State House of Representatives
* State delegation to the U.S. Senate
* State delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives

For years in which a presidential election was held, the table indicates which party's nominees received the state's electoral votes.

## History

[edit]

The Republican Party controlled the governorship from the American Civil War to 1932, with the Democratic Party only winning four times. The Greenback Party was active in Maine and its gubernatorial candidates had their vote totals rise from 520 votes in the 1876 election to 41,371 votes in the 1878 election. The Greenbacks aided in the election of Democratic gubernatorial nominees Alonzo Garcelon and Harris M. Plaisted. The Democratic Party did not control the state legislature between 1847 and 1911.[1]

The Maine Republican Party supported Theodore Roosevelt during the 1912 Republican presidential primaries against President William Howard Taft. The Maine Progressive Party was founded by Roosevelt supporters on July 31, 1912, at a convention in Portland, Maine. The Republicans were weakened after losing members including Charles H. Hitchborn, who was the treasurer of the party, although Warren C. Philbrook, the chair of the party, remained. Woodrow Wilson won Maine in the presidential election while Roosevelt received more votes than Taft.[1]

On April 5, 1916, the Progressives held their convention and nominated Edwin Lawrence for governor under the coniditon that they would follow the path of the national party. The national Progressive Party attempted to nominate Roosevelt for president against, but he declined and the party returned to the Republicans. The Maine Progressives withdrew their candidates and supported the Republicans. B. F. Lawrence, who ran for a seat in the Maine House of Representatives, was the only Progressive elected in 1916, but later joined the Republicans.[1]

Robert M. La Follette, who ran as the Progressive presidential nominee in the 1924 election, told Gilbert E. Roe, who was running his campaign in the eastern United States, that the conditions for his campaigns were good in the eastern United States except for in Maine and Vermont. Republican nominee Calvin Coolidge received over 70% of the popular vote while La Follette only received six percent.[1]

## Table

[edit]

Year | Governor | State Legislature | United States Congress | Electoral votes

|
|
|
|

State Senate | State House | U.S. Senator (Class I) | U.S. Senator (Class II) | U.S. House District 1 | U.S. House District 2
1820  | William King (DR)[a] | DR majority  | DR majority  | John Holmes (DR) | John Chandler (DR) | Joseph Dane (F)[b] | James Monroe/
Daniel D. Tompkins (DR) Y
1821  | DR majority  | DR majority
William D. Williamson (DR)[c][d] | 5DR, 2F
Benjamin Ames (DR)[e][f]
1822  | Daniel Rose (DR)[c] | DR majority  | DR majority  | 6DR, 1F
Albion Parris (DR)
1823  | DR majority  | DR majority
1824  | DR majority  | NR majority  | John Quincy Adams/
John C. Calhoun (DR) Y
1825  | DR majority  | DR majority  | John Holmes (NR) | John Chandler (J) | 6NR, 1J
1826  | DR majority  | DR majority
1827  | Enoch Lincoln (DR)[g] | DR majority  | DR majority  | Albion Parris (J)[f] | 4NR, 3J
1828  | DR majority  | DR majority  | John Quincy Adams/
Richard Rush (DR) N
1829  | DR majority  | NR majority  | John Holmes (NR) | Peleg Sprague (NR) | 4J, 3NR
Nathan Cutler (D)[h]
1830  | Joshua Hall (D)[e] | 12NR, 8DR  | NR majority
Jonathan G. Hunton (NR)
1831  | Samuel E. Smith (D) | 11DR, 9DR  | 86DR, 62NR, 1?  | 6J, 1NR
1832  | 21DR, 4NR  | 100DR, 58NR, 24?, 2 vac.  | Andrew Jackson/
Martin Van Buren (D) Y
1833  | 15DR, 10NR  | 97DR, 59NR, 30?  | Ether Shepley (J)[f] | 7J, 1NR
1834  | Robert P. Dunlap (D) | 21DR, 3NR, 1A-M | 79DR, 39NR, 63?[i]
1835  | 18D, 7NR  | 94D, 66NR, 26?  | John Ruggles (J) | 6J, 2NR
1836  | 22D, 3NR  | 51D, 41NR, 94?[j] | Judah Dana (J) | Martin Van Buren/
Richard Mentor Johnson (D) Y
1837  | 21D, 4W  | 108D, 54W, 24?  | Reuel Williams (D)[f] | John Ruggles (D) | 6D, 2W
1838  | Edward Kent (W)[k] | 14D, 11W  | 98W, 85D, 5?  | 5D, 3W
1839  | John Fairfield (D)[f] | 15D, 10W  | 107D, 73W, 9?. 1 vac.  | 6D, 2W
1840  | 17D, 8W  | 123D, 63W, 5?  | William Henry Harrison/
John Tyler (W) Y
1841  | Richard H. Vose (W)[c] | 18W, 7D  | 94W, 66D, 30?[l] | George Evans (W) | 4D, 4W
Edward Kent (W)
1842  | John Fairfield (D)[m] | 27D, 4W  | 131D, 55W, 18?
1843  | 30D, 1W  | 55D, 18W, 78?[n] | 5D, 2W
Edward Kavanagh (D)[c][f] | vacant
1844  | David Dunn (D)[e][f] | 28D, 3W  | 89D, 42W, 2Lty, 18?  | John Fairfield (D)[g] | James K. Polk/
George M. Dallas (D) Y
John W. Dana (D)[c]
Hugh J. Anderson (D)
1845  | 85D, 49W, 17?  | 6D, 1W
1846  | 27D, 4W  | 85D, 66W
1847  | 78D, 66W, 6Lty, 1I  | James W. Bradbury (D)
John W. Dana (D)
1848  | 102D, 49W  | Wyman B. S. Moor (D) | Lewis Cass/
William Orlando Butler (D) N
Hannibal Hamlin (D)[o]
1849  | 20D, 11W  | 85D, 66W  | 5D, 2W
1850  | 88D, 63R
John Hubbard (D)
1851  | 26D, 4W, 1FS[p] | 93D, 50W, 8FS[p]
1852  | 4D, 3W  | Franklin Pierce/
William R. King (D) Y
1853  | William G. Crosby (W) | 22W, 9D  | 84D, 62W, 4FS, 1?  | vacant | 3D, 3W
1854  | 17W, 14D  | 76D, 66W, 9FS  | William P. Fessenden (W)
1855  | Anson Morrill (R) | 16W, 10D, 5FS  | 83D, 44W, 23FS, 1?[q] | 3O, 2R, 1D
1856  | Samuel Wells (D) | 20D, 9W, 2R  | 68D, 61R, 22W[r] | John C. Frémont/
William L. Dayton (R) N
1857  | Hannibal Hamlin (R)[m] | 30R, 1D  | 125R, 26D[s] | Amos Nourse (R) | William P. Fessenden (R)[f] | 6R
Joseph H. Williams (R)[c] | Hannibal Hamlin (R)[t]
1858  | Lot M. Morrill (R) | 117R, 34D[u]
1859  | 103R, 48D
1860  | 119R, 32D  | Abraham Lincoln/
Hannibal Hamlin (R) Y
1861  | Israel Washburn Jr. (R) | 31R  | 128R, 23D  | Lot M. Morrill (R)
1862  | 26R, 5D  | 123R, 28D
1863  | Abner Coburn (R) | 25R, 6D  | 107R, 44D  | 4R, 1D
1864  | Samuel Cony (R) | 30R, 1D  | 120R, 31D  | Abraham Lincoln/
Andrew Johnson (NU) Y
Nathan A. Farwell (R)
1865  | 28R, 3D  | 129R, 22D  | William P. Fessenden (R)[g] | 5R
1866  | 31R  | 136R, 15D
1867  | Joshua Chamberlain (R) | 138R, 13D
1868  | 28R, 3D  | 105R, 46D  | Ulysses S. Grant/
Schuyler Colfax (R) Y
1869  | 29R, 2D  | 123R, 28D  | Hannibal Hamlin (R)
1870  | 28R, 3D  | 117R, 34D  | Lot M. Morrill (R)
1871  | Sidney Perham (R) | 113R, 38D
1872  | 112R, 39D  | Ulysses S. Grant/
Henry Wilson (R) Y
1873  | 30R, 1LR  | 128R, 19D, 2LR, 2I
1874  | Nelson Dingley Jr. (R) | 103R, 41D, 7I
1875  | 28R, 3D  | 89R, 55D, 7I
1876  | Seldon Connor (R) | 20R, 11D  | 85R, 63D, 3I  | Rutherford B. Hayes/
William A. Wheeler (R) Y
1877  | 29R, 2D  | 120R, 30D, 1I  | James G. Blaine (R)
1878  | 28R, 3D  | 99R, 47D, 3I, 2GB
1879  | Alonzo Garcelon (D) | 20R, 10GB, 1D  | 65R, 57GB, 27D, 2I[v] | 3R, 2GB
1880  | Daniel F. Davis (R) | 19R, 11GB, 1D  | 90R, 50GB, 11D  | James A. Garfield/
Chester A. Arthur (R) Y
1881  | Harris M. Plaisted (D) | 23R, 6GB, 2D  | 84R, 40GB, 27D  | Eugene Hale (R) | William P. Frye (R)[g]
1882
1883  | Frederick Robie (R) | 28R, 3D  | 108R, 43D  | 4R[b]
1884  | James G. Blaine/
John A. Logan (R) N
1885  | 31R  | 115R, 34D, 2GB  | 4R
1886
1887  | Joseph R. Bodwell (R)[g] | 27R, 4D  | 122R, 29D
Sebastian Streeter Marble (R)[c]
1888  | Benjamin Harrison/
Levi P. Morton (R) Y
1889  | Edwin C. Burleigh (R) | 31R  | 125R, 26D
1890
1891  | 27R, 4D  | 110R, 41D
1892  | Benjamin Harrison/
Whitelaw Reid (R) N
1893  | Henry B. Cleaves (R) | 30R, 1D  | 107R, 44D
1894
1895  | 31R  | 146R, 5D
1896  | William McKinley/
Garret Hobart (R) Y
1897  | Llewellyn Powers (R) | 145R, 6D
1898
1899  | 126R, 25D
1900  | William McKinley/
Theodore Roosevelt (R) Y
1901  | John Fremont Hill (R) | 30R, 1D  | 132R, 19D
1902
1903  | 128R, 23D
1904  | Theodore Roosevelt/
Charles W. Fairbanks Y
1905  | William T. Cobb (R) | 27R, 4D  | 126R, 25D
1906
1907  | 23R, 8D  | 88R, 63D
1908  | William Howard Taft/
James S. Sherman (R) Y
1909  | Bert M. Fernald (R) | 100R, 51D
1910
1911  | Frederick W. Plaisted (D) | 22D, 9R  | 86D, 65R  | Charles F. Johnson (D) | 2R, 2D
Obadiah Gardner (D)
1912  | Woodrow Wilson/
Thomas R. Marshall (D) Y
1913  | William T. Haines (R) | 21R, 10D  | 79R, 72D  | Edwin C. Burleigh (R)[g] | 3R, 1D
1914
1915  | Oakley C. Curtis (D) | 17R, 14D  | 78D, 69R, 4Prog
1916  | Charles Evans Hughes/
Charles W. Fairbanks (R) N
vacant
Bert M. Fernald (R)
1917  | Carl Milliken (R) | 28R, 3D  | 105R, 46D  | Frederick Hale (R) | 4R
1918
1919  | 29R, 2D  | 110R, 41D
1920  | Warren G. Harding/
Calvin Coolidge (R) Y
1921  | Frederic Hale Parkhurst (R)[g] | 31R  | 135R, 16D
Percival P. Baxter (R)[w]
1922
1923  | 28R, 3D  | 116R, 35D
1924  | Calvin Coolidge/
Charles G. Dawes (R) Y
1925  | Owen Brewster (R) | 30R, 1D  | 122R, 29D
1926
vacant
Arthur R. Gould (R)
1927  | 129R, 22D
1928  | Herbert Hoover/
Charles Curtis (R) Y
1929  | William Tudor Gardiner (R) | 31R  | 135R, 16D
1930
1931  | 120R, 31D  | Wallace H. White (R)
1932  | Herbert Hoover/
Charles Curtis (R) N
1933  | Louis J. Brann (D) | 26R, 7D  | 93R, 58D  | 2D, 1R
1934
1935  | 22R, 11D  | 96R, 55D
1936  | Alf Landon/
Frank Knox (R) N
1937  | Lewis O. Barrows (R) | 29R, 4D  | 124R, 27D  | 3R
1938
1939  | 31R, 2D
1940  | Wendell Willkie/
Charles L. McNary (R) N
1941  | Sumner Sewall (R) | 128R, 23D  | Owen Brewster (R)[f]
1942
1943  | 32R, 1D  | 136R, 15D
1944  | Thomas E. Dewey/
John W. Bricker (R) N
1945  | Horace Hildreth (R) | 31R, 2D
1946
1947  | 30R, 3D  | 126R, 25D
1948  | Thomas E. Dewey/
Earl Warren (R) N
1949  | Frederick G. Payne (R) | 28R, 5D  | Margaret Chase Smith (R)
1950
1951  | 31R, 2D  | 126R, 24D, 1I
1952  | Burton M. Cross (R) | Dwight D. Eisenhower/
Richard Nixon (R) Y
1953  | Nathaniel M. Haskell (R) | 127R, 24D  | Frederick G. Payne (R)
1954  | Burton M. Cross (R)
1955  | Edmund Muskie (D) | 27R, 6D  | 119R, 32D
1956
1957  | 25R, 8D  | 100R, 51D  | 2R, 1D
1958
1959  | Clinton Clauson (D) | 21R, 12D  | 94R, 57D  | Edmund Muskie (D) | 2D, 1R
1960  | John H. Reed (R) | Richard Nixon/
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (R) N
1961  | 30R, 3D  | 113R, 38D  | 3R
1962
1963  | 29R, 5D  | 110R, 41D  | Stanley R. Tupper (R) | Clifford McIntire (R)
1964  | Lyndon B. Johnson/
Hubert Humphrey (D) Y
1965  | 29D, 5R  | 80D, 71R  | William Hathaway (D)
1966
1967  | Kenneth M. Curtis (D) | 24R, 10D  | 95R, 56D  | Peter Kyros (D)
1968  | Hubert Humphrey/
Edmund Muskie (D) N
1969  | 18R, 14D  | 85R, 66D
1970
1971  | 80R, 71D
1972  | Richard Nixon/
Spiro Agnew (R) Y
1973  | 22R, 11D  | 79R, 72D  | William Hathaway (D) | William Cohen (R)
1974
1975  | James B. Longley (I) | 19R, 14D  | 91D, 59R, 1I  | David F. Emery (R)
1976  | Gerald Ford/
Bob Dole (R) N
1977  | 21R, 12D  | 89D, 62R
1978
1979  | Joseph E. Brennan (D) | 19R, 13D, 1I  | 77D, 73R, 1ID  | William Cohen (R) | Olympia Snowe (R)
1980  | George J. Mitchell (D) | Ronald Reagan/
George H. W. Bush (R) Y
1981  | 17R, 16D  | 84D, 67R
1982
1983  | 23D, 10R  | 92D, 59R  | Jock McKernan (R)
1984
1985  | 24D, 11R  | 83D, 68R
1986
1987  | Jock McKernan (R) | 20D, 15R  | 86D, 65R  | Joseph E. Brennan (D)
1988  | George H. W. Bush/
Dan Quayle (R) Y
1989  | 97D, 54R
1990
1991  | 21D, 14R  | Thomas Andrews (D)
1992  | Bill Clinton/
Al Gore (D) Y
1993  | 20D, 15R  | 90D, 61R
1994
1995  | Angus King (I) | 18R, 16D, 1I  | 77D, 74R  | Olympia Snowe (R) | Jim Longley (R) | John Baldacci (D)
1996
1997  | 19D, 15R, 1I  | 81D, 69R, 1I  | Susan Collins (R) | Tom Allen (D)
1998
1999  | 20D, 14R, 1I  | 79D, 71R, 1I
2000  | Al Gore/
Joe Lieberman (D) N
2001  | 17R, 17D, 1I[x] | 88D, 62R, 1I
2002
2003  | John Baldacci (D) | 18D, 17R  | 80D, 67R, 3I, 1G  | Mike Michaud (D)
2004  | John Kerry/
John Edwards (D) N
2005  | 76D, 73R, 1I, 1G
2006
2007  | 90D, 59R, 2I
2008  | Barack Obama/
Joe Biden (D) Y
2009  | 20D, 15R  | 95D, 55R, 1I  | Chellie Pingree (D)
2010
2011  | Paul LePage (R) | 20R, 14D, 1I  | 78R, 72D, 1I
2012
2013  | 19D, 15R, 1I  | 89D, 58R, 4I  | Angus King (I)[y]
2014
2015  | 20R, 15D  | 78D, 68R, 5I  | Bruce Poliquin (R)
2016  | 78D, 69R, 4I  | 3 – Hillary Clinton/
Tim Kaine (D) N
1 – Donald Trump/
Mike Pence (R) Y[z]
2017  | 18R, 17D  | 77D, 73R, 1I
2018  | 74D, 70R, 6I, 1G
2019  | Janet Mills (D) | 21D, 14R  | 89D, 56R, 6I  | Jared Golden (D)
2020  | 3 – Joe Biden/
Kamala Harris (D) Y
1 – Donald Trump/
Mike Pence (R) N[z]
2021  | 22D, 13R  | 80D, 67R, 4I
2022
2023  | 81D, 68R, 2I
2024  | 3 – Kamala Harris/
Tim Walz (D) N
1 – Donald Trump/
J.D. Vance (R) Y[z]
2025  | 20D, 15R  | 76D, 73R, 2I
Key to party colors and abbreviations for members of the U.S. Congress and other politicians or officials  | Alaskan Independence (AKIP)

Know Nothing (KN)
American Labor (AL)
Anti-Jacksonian (Anti-J)
National Republican (NR)
Anti-Administration (AA)
Anti-Masonic (Anti-M)
Conservative (Con)
Covenant (Cov)
| Democratic (D)

Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL)
Democratic–NPL (D-NPL)
Dixiecrat (Dix),
States' Rights (SR)
Democratic-Republican (DR)
Farmer–Labor (FL)
Federalist (F)
Pro-Administration (PA)
| Free Soil (FS)

Fusion (Fus)
Greenback (GB)
Independence (IPM)
Independent Democrat (ID)
Independent Republican (IR)
Jacksonian (J)
Liberal (Lib)
| Libertarian (L)

National Union (NU)
Nonpartisan League (NPL)
Nullifier (N)
Opposition Northern (O)
Opposition Southern (O)
Populist (Pop)
Progressive (Prog)
| Prohibition (Proh)

Readjuster (Rea)
Republican (R)
Silver (Sv)
Silver Republican (SvR)
Socialist (Soc)
Union (U)
Unconditional Union (UU)
| Vermont Progressive (VP)

Whig (W)
Independent (I)
Nonpartisan (NP)

1. ^ Resigned to take appointment as a minister to negotiate a treaty with Spain.
2. ^ a b Elected at-large on a general ticket.
3. ^ a b c d e f g As president of the state Senate, filled unexpired term.
4. ^ Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States House of Representatives.
5. ^ a b c As speaker of the state House, filled unexpired term.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Resigned.
7. ^ a b c d e f g Died in office.
8. ^ As president of the state Senate, filled unexpired term until his Senate term expired.
9. ^ A Democrat, Nathan Clifford, was elected as Speaker.
10. ^ A Democrat, Hannibal Hamlin, was elected as Speaker.
11. ^ Won a close election, but Democrats challenged the election. He was finally declared the winner by the state Supreme Court and sworn in on January 19, 1838.
12. ^ A Whig, Josiah S. Little, was elected as Speaker.
13. ^ a b Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
14. ^ A Democrat, David Dunn, was elected as Speaker.
15. ^ Resigned to take an elected seat as Governor.
16. ^ a b Due to a constitutional change in when elected officials took office, legislators elected in 1850 had a two-year term.
17. ^ A coalition of Whigs, Free Soilers, and Morrill Democrats elected Noah Smith Jr., a Whig, as Speaker, and organized the chamber.
18. ^ A coalition of Republicans and Whigs elected Sidney Perham, a Republican, as Speaker, and organized the chamber.
19. ^ A Democrat, Josiah S. Little, was elected as a minority-party Speaker.
20. ^ Resigned to become Vice President of the United States.
21. ^ A Democrat, Charles A. Spofford, was elected as a minority-party Speaker.
22. ^ A coalition of Democrats, Greenbacks, and Independents supported Melvin P. Frank, a Democrat, as Speaker and organized the House.[2]
23. ^ As president of the senate, filled unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
24. ^ A power-sharing agreement was negotiated between the Democrats and Republicans, with a Democrat, Mike Michaud, becoming Senate President for one year in 2001, and a Republican, Rick Bennett, becoming Senate President for one year in 2002.
25. ^ As Senator, King has consistently caucused with the Senate Democratic Caucus.
26. ^ a b c The Democratic ticket received Maine's two at-large votes and one vote in the First Congressional District while the Republican ticket received one vote in the Second District.

## See also

[edit]

* Law and government in Maine

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d King, Elizabeth (1933). The Progressive Movement of 1912 and Third Party Movement of 1924 in Maine. University of Maine Press.
2. ^ Representatives, Maine Legislature House of (1879). Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Maine. p. 9.

* v
* t
* e

Political parties of Maine

* Democratic
* Green Independent
* Libertarian
* No Labels
* Republican

Political party strength in Maine

* v
* t
* e

Political party strength in U.S. states

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Washington, D.C.

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List of third-party and independent performances in United States elections
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