More than a week after the midterm elections, dozens of US House races remain uncalled, and Maine’s 2nd District began the ranked-choice count on Monday that will finally settle one of the closest. The uncalled House races are the last loose end of a midterm that has already flipped control of the chamber to the Democrats.
According to the Maine Secretary of State’s office, no candidate in the 2nd District won more than 50% of the ballots cast, so the race proceeds to ranked-choice tabulation. The count began at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Department of Public Safety headquarters in Augusta, and it is open to the public and livestreamed.
LePage leads, Dunlap concedes — but the count goes on
Unofficial first-choice results put Republican former Governor Paul LePage on 170,263 votes, or 49.894%, and Democrat Matt Dunlap on 164,845 votes, or 48.307%, a lead of 5,418 votes out of 341,248 ballots cast. There were also 123 votes for declared write-in candidates and 6,017 blank ballots. The Associated Press has not called the race.
Dunlap conceded last week and congratulated LePage, but the Secretary of State’s office said the tabulation is still required by law. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told local reporters the process usually takes about a week, with staff first verifying every municipality’s totals. As of Monday morning, no ranked-choice round results had been posted.
How many races are left?
CBS News reported on Tuesday that winners had not been projected in more than two dozen House races, while yesterday’s ReportRig count put the figure at 19 uncalled. The difference reflects different call standards and counting at different times, not a sudden change.
The uncalled races include Republican-held districts with razor-thin margins, a few Democratic seats that could flip, and several races in California and other western states where ballots are still being counted. Decision Desk HQ projects 258 Democrats and 177 Republicans in the next House, but the exact size of the Democratic majority will not be fixed until the final calls are made.
For the new Congress, the delay matters. Leadership elections are being held on Tuesday, and committee assignments and the incoming majority’s plans all rest on a seat count that is still moving.
Sources: Maine Secretary of State, Associated Press, CBS News, WGME, Maine Morning Star, Decision Desk HQ
