Who is Hannah Pingree and what is Pingree running on in the 2026 Maine Governor race?

Hannah Pingree is the Democratic candidate for Maine governor. Former Maine House Speaker (2008-2010) and former director of Gov. Mills’ Office of Policy Innovation; daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The race

• The seat: Open seat (Janet Mills term-limited).
• Rating: Likely D / Lean D (Cook, Inside Elections, RCP per Wikipedia, 2026).
• Polling: Pingree 50 to 55, Charles 36 to 40, Bennett 8 (NYT/Portland Press Herald/Siena, June 19 to 26, 2026).

Why Pingree is ahead

• Maine leans Democratic and has voted Democratic for president in every election since 1992.
• Pingree led by double digits in the only public general-election poll (Siena, June).
• Independent Rick Bennett, a former GOP Senate president, splits the non-Democratic vote.
• Charles’s plan to scrap the income tax and cut $4B is ambitious; even a GOP primary rival questioned whether it is feasible.

What Pingree is running on

• Housing. Proposes $100M a year for housing construction and preservation, a 90-day deadline for state permits, and ending veteran homelessness in her first year.
• Healthcare. Backs a public insurance option to make coverage more affordable.
• Taxes. Supports a ‘millionaire’s tax’ and relief for low- and middle-income Mainers.
• Guns. Supported the red flag law and favors a bump stock ban.
• Tribal sovereignty. Supports full tribal sovereignty, with a governor’s bill in her first 100 days.
• Trump. Promises to stand up to Trump administration policies.

In Pingree’s own words

“This issue of housing, if we can’t solve it, nothing else works.”

The other candidates

• Bobby Charles (R)
• Rick Bennett (I)

Every race

See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.