2026 forecast · Maine 2nd

Matt Dunlap and Paul LePage are in a toss up for Maine's 2nd District.

Matt Dunlap vs Paul LePage, an open seat. The model has Dunlap ahead by 1.2 points, winning 57 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Toss upModel D +1.2Polls R +0.0Updated October 22, 2026
Matt Dunlap
Democrat
50.6%
180,276 projected votes
Paul LePage
Republican
49.4%
175,823 projected votes
57%Dunlap
43%LePage
Dunlap slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Dunlap wins about 57 of 100
RatingToss up57% chance for Dunlap
Model marginD +1.2Polls R +0.0
80 percent rangeD +9.6 to R +7.02,000 simulations
Projected votes356,099Dunlap 50.6%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Maine districts

2 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Matt DunlapDemocrat · 57% to win
50.6%
Paul LePageRepublican · 43% to win
49.4%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

356,099 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Matt Dunlap D180,27650.6%
Paul LePage R175,82349.4%
Total356,099100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%57% Dunlap43% LePage14 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Maine governor polling average
30%35%40%45%50%55%60%JulAugSepOct49.9Pingree37.9Charles
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
The Washington Post-Schar SchoolOct 5 · 800 LV · A+16%Pingree +13.0
Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research for AARPSep 22 · 982 LV · B16%Pingree +13.0
New York Times/Siena UniversitySep 22 · 619 LV · Gold15%Pingree +13.0
Suffolk UniversityOct 11 · 500 LV · B+14%Pingree +11.0
co/efficient (R)Sep 30 · 1,240 LV · C+11%Pingree +9.0
CBS News/YouGovOct 1 · 1,144 LV · C9.4%Pingree +12.0
Every other poll together: 18%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +0.0

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Dunlap +1.2
Chance of winning
Matt Dunlap57%
Paul LePage43%
Simulated vote
Matt Dunlap50.6%
Paul LePage49.4%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +9.0
FundamentalsD +1.0
With pollsD +0.4
Early vote turnoutD +0.9
With early voteD +1.2

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in Maine, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +11R +11Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +9.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +1.0With pollsaverage R +0.0D +0.4With early voteturnout so farD +1.2
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.