U.S. House · Maine's 2nd District

Northern, western, and central Maine, including Lewiston, Bangor, and Aroostook County — geographically most of the state outside greater Portland.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 20 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

Incumbent Jared Golden (D), first elected in 2018, did not seek re-election, leaving the seat open for the first time since 2014.[1]
Donald Trump carried the 2nd District 53.5%-44.5% over Kamala Harris in 2024, while Golden won re-election in the district 50.3%-49.7% the same year; Republicans consider the open seat a pickup opportunity in 2026.[1]
Matthew Dunlap defeated Joe Baldacci, Paige Loud, and Jordan Wood in the Democratic primary. Paul LePage, Maine's former governor, won the Republican primary unopposed after James Clark did not make the ballot.[1]

On the ballot · 3 candidates

Matthew DunlapDMaine State Auditor (since 2022)

Raised $1.2M · spent $977K · $229K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Paul LePageRFormer Governor of Maine (2011-2019)

Raised $2.6M · spent $878K · $1.7M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Gregory WardIND

Where they stand — side by side

Only positions documented in a cited source are shown. Where an officeholder’s recorded votes speak to an issue, the votes set the position (marked “votes”). A dash means we found no clear public position — not that the candidate has none.

ISSUE	Matthew Dunlap D	Paul LePage R	Gregory Ward IND
Stricter gun laws	—	Opposes[2]	—
Expand public health coverage	Supports[2]	—	—

The candidates, in full

Matthew Dunlap

DMaine State Auditor (since 2022)

Matthew Dunlap is the Democratic nominee for Maine's 2nd Congressional District. He is the sitting Maine State Auditor and previously served as Maine Secretary of State and in the Maine House of Representatives.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

actionElected Maine State Auditor in 2022 (with a brief earlier appointment in 2021); the position audits state government finances.[2]
actionServed as Maine Secretary of State from 2005-2011 and 2013-2021.[2]

Positions on the issues

SupportsExpand public health coverage
Supports restoring ACA tax credits in the near term and says Medicare for All is the longer-term goal.[2]
“re-establish [ACA] tax credits, but overall, I think the real answer is Medicare-for-All and just cut to the chase.”

In their words — priorities

Says he is running to stand up to the Trump administration and to fight for affordable healthcare, a lower cost of living, and higher wages.[2]
On healthcare, says he wants to re-establish ACA tax credits but sees Medicare for All as the broader goal.[2]

Background

Earned a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in literature from the University of Maine.[2]
Served as Maine Secretary of State (2005-2011 and 2013-2021) and in the Maine House of Representatives, District 121 (1996-2004).[2]
Worked in publishing, food service, and non-profit executive roles before his current tenure as Maine State Auditor (since 2022, with a brief prior stint in 2021).[2]

Campaign money

Raised $1.2M · spent $977K · $229K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Shareable profile page

Paul LePage

RFormer Governor of Maine (2011-2019)

Paul LePage is the Republican nominee for Maine's 2nd Congressional District. He served two terms as Governor of Maine (2011-2019) and previously as Mayor of Waterville.[2]

Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.

On the record — official actions

actionAs Governor of Maine (2011-2019), his campaign says he lowered the state's unemployment rate, reduced state spending, addressed hospital debt, implemented what he describes as the state's largest tax cut, and reformed welfare.[2]

Positions on the issues

OpposesStricter gun laws
Says he would protect Second Amendment freedoms.[2]
“protect our freedoms like the Second Amendment”

In their words — priorities

Campaigns on his record as governor, citing a lower unemployment rate, reduced state spending, addressing hospital debt, the state's largest tax cut, welfare reform, and increased K-12 spending.[2]
Says he would help end wasteful federal spending and secure the border, while protecting Social Security and Medicare.[2]

Background

Earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance/accounting from Husson University and an M.B.A. from the University of Maine.[2]
Served as Mayor of Waterville, Maine (2004-2011) and was general manager of Marden's Surplus and Salvage.[2]
Served two terms as Governor of Maine (2011-2019).[2]

Campaign money

Raised $2.6M · spent $878K · $1.7M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Shareable profile page

Gregory Ward

IND

Certified write-in candidate; not pre-printed on the general-election ballot.

Gregory Ward is a certified write-in Independent candidate for Maine's 2nd Congressional District.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Research notes & limits

Open seat: incumbent Jared Golden did not seek re-election. This is one of 23 U.S. House districts nationwide that Democrats are defending that Trump carried in 2024, per Ballotpedia's analysis.

Sources · 2

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

1.Maine's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
2.Matthew Dunlap and Paul LePage candidate profiles · Ballotpedia (curated from candidates' campaign statements) Candidate's own words