Official: US House race in Maine heading to ranked runoff

By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine officials say Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden will need to survive a ranked choice runoff to hold onto his seat. The moderate Democrat leads Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin, who held the seat from 2014 to 2018. The national Republican Party focused heavily on flipping the district, where former President Donald Trump maintains strong support. Golden had to contend with both Poliquin and independent candidate Tiffany Bond in a race that included ranked-choice voting. Officials say Golden did not clear 50% of the vote, so the ranked round will take place. The Associated Press has not yet called the race.