Democratic candidates for Maine governor Shenna Bellows, Hannah Pingree and Troy Jackson each recently said the state should be prepared to change the way it awards presidential votes if their Republican-led counterpart makes the first move.
Maine and Nebraska are the only two states in the country that split their Electoral College votes rather than awarding the whole state to a single candidate.
“Nebraska is talking about moving to a winner-take-all system because they know those votes at the state level would be red,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a video posted to X on Tuesday.
“We must fight fire with fire. If they’re going to manipulate the Electoral College, we need to be prepared to take action to change Maine’s system to go to winner-take-all,” she said.
Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination in five-way June 9 primary, reposted Bellows’ video with the message: “We’re on the same page, Shenna.”
Former Maine Senate president and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson also came out in support of winner-take-all on Tuesday.
“I was the lead Senate cosponsor of the National Popular Vote Compact, and I strongly support deciding presidential elections based on the popular vote. Until then, let’s treat politics like the bloodsport it is, and play it better,” Jackson said in a social media post.
Jackson, Pingree and Bellows recently formed an alliance with all saying they ranked the others on their primary ballots. U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has also endorsed the three, saying he ranked Jackson first among the group.
The Democratic field also includes former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, who has led in most polls and has said he does not support switching Maine to winner-take-all, and energy executive Angus King III.
Maine became the first state under a 1969 law to award one Electoral College vote to the winner of each of its two congressional districts. The statewide winner gets the other two. Nebraska followed in 1991 in a bid to gain more campaign attention from presidential candidates.
