Elections for governor were initially held annually. In 1880, a two-year term was introduced and lasted through 1958, when four-year terms were instituted. (See election procedures.) The tables below report the election year, votes for Democrats, Republicans, and the next largest vote getting party. Percentages are given for Democrats, Republicans, and the next largest vote-getting party if the latter received more than 5 percent of the vote.
Annual Elections Period
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Next | Dem% | Rep% | Next if 5%+ |
| 1820 | ======>NationalRepublicans======> | 21,083 | 95.8% | |||
| 1821 | 12,887 | 6,811 | 52.8% | 47.2% | ||
| 1822 | 15,476 | 5,795 | 69.8% | 30.2% | ||
| 1823 | 18,550 | 95.6% | ||||
| 1824 | 19,779 | 96.8% | ||||
| 1825 | 14,206 | 93.1% | 6.9% | |||
| 1826 | 20,689 | 98.2% | ||||
| 1827 | 19,969 | 97.6% | ||||
| 1828 | 25,745 | 91.6% | 8.4% | |||
| 1829 | 22,991 | 23,315 | 49.4% | 50.1% | ||
| 1830 | 30,215 | 28,639 | 51.1% | 48.5% | ||
| 1831 | 28,292 | 21,821 | 56.3% | 43.5% | ||
| 1832 | 31,987 |
27,651 |
869 | 52.8% | 45.6% | |
| 1833 | 25,731 | 27,651 | 18,112 | 52.1% | 47.9% | |
| 1834 | 38,133 | =====>Whigs=====> | 33,732 | 52.2% | 47.8% | |
| 1835 | 45,208 | 16,860 | 72.1% | 27.9% | ||
| 1836 | 31,837 | 22,703 | 58.2% | 41.8% | ||
| 1837 | 33,879 | 34,358 | 49.4% | 50.6% | ||
| 1838 | 46,216 | 42,897 | 51.6% | 48.4% | ||
| 1839 | 41,038 | 34,749 | 54.0% | 46.0% | ||
| 1840 | 45,507 | 45,574 | 49.9% | 50.1% | ||
| 1841 | 47,354 | 36,790 | 55.0% | 45.0% | ||
| 1842 | 40,855 | 26,745 | 56.9% | 43.1% | ||
| 1843 | 32,029 | 20,973 | 50.7% | 49.3% | ||
| 1844 | 48,942 | 38,501 | 52.1% | 47.9% | ||
| 1845 | 34,711 | 26,341 | 51.5% | 48.5% | ||
| 1846 | 36,031 | 29,557 | 47.6% | 52.4% | ||
| 1847 | 33,429 | 24,246 | 51.2% | 48.8% | ||
| 1848 | 39,760 | 29,927 | 48.3% | 51.7% | ||
| 1849 | 37,636 | 28,056 | 51.0% | 49.0% | ||
| 1850 | 41,203 | 32,120 | 51.1% | 48.9% | ||
| 1851 | No election, constitutional change in political year | |||||
| 1852 | 41,999 | Whigs ==> Republican |
29,127 | 44.3% | 55.7% | |
| 1853 | 36,386 | 11,027 | 27,061 | 43.5% | 13.2% | 43.3% |
| 1854 | 28,462 | 44,565 | 14,001 | 31.4% | 49.2% | 19.4% |
| 1855 | 48,345 | 51,441 | 10,610 | 43.8% | 46.6% | 9.7% |
| 1856 | 43,628 | 69,574 | 6,554 | 36.4% | 58.1% | 5.5% |
| 1857 | 42,968 | 54,655 | 43.9% | 55.8% | ||
| 1858 | 52,440 | 60,380 | 46.4% | 53.5% | ||
| 1859 | 45,387 | 57,230 | War Democrat | 44.2% | 55.8% | |
| 1860 | 52,350 | 70,030 | 42.2% | 56.4% | ||
| 1861 | 19,908 | 58,689 | 21,935 | 19.8% | 58.3% | 21.9% |
| 1862 | 32,108 | 42,744 | 6,764 | 39.3% | 52.3% | 8.4% |
| 1863 | 50,687 | 68,339 | 42.6% | 57.4% | ||
| 1864 | 46,403 | 65,583 | 41.4% | 58.6% | ||
| 1865 | 31,609 | 54,430 | 36.7% | 63.2% | ||
| 1866 | 41,947 | 69,637 | 37.5% | 62.2% | ||
| 1867 | 45,990 | 57,332 | 44.3% | 55.3% | ||
| 1868 | 56,207 |
75,523 |
42.7% | 57.3% | ||
| 1869 | 39,033 | 51,314 | 4,735 | 41.1% | 54.0% | 5.0% |
| 1870 | 45,733 | 54,019 | 45.8% | 54.1% | ||
| 1871 | 47,578 | 58,285 | 44.9% | 55.0% | ||
| 1872 | 55,343 | 71,888 | 43.5% | 56.5% | ||
| 1873 | 32,920 | 45,244 | 2,164 | 40.7% | 55.9% | |
| 1874 | 41,898 | 50,865 | 2,093 | 44.0% | 53.4% | |
| 1875 | 53,807 | 57,812 | 48.2% | 51.8% | ||
| 1876 | 60,423 | 75,867 |
520
|
44.2% | 55.4% | |
| 1877 | 42,311 | 53,585 | 5,296 | 41.5% | 52.5% | 6.0% |
| 1878 | 28,208 | 56,554 | 41,371 | 22.4% | 44.8% | 32.8% |
| 1879 | 21,851 | 68,967 | 47,643 | 15.7% | 49.7% | 34.6% |
Two- and Four-Year Elections Period
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Next | Dem% | Rep% | 5%+ |
|
1880 |
73,544
|
73,713
|
49.8%
|
50.2%
|
||
|
1882 |
78,318
|
63,921
|
54.3%
|
45.7%
|
||
|
1884 |
58,503
|
78,318
|
3,017
|
41.2%
|
55.1%
|
|
|
1886 |
55,289
|
8,850
|
3,851
|
81.1%
|
13.0%
|
5.9%
|
|
1888 |
61,348
|
79,401
|
3,109
|
42.2%
|
54.6%
|
|
|
1890 |
45,360
|
64,259
|
2,981
|
39.8%
|
56.4%
|
|
|
1892 |
55,397
|
67,900
|
3,864
|
42.5%
|
52.1%
|
5.3%
|
|
1894 |
30,405
|
69,322
|
5,328
|
28.2%
|
64.3%
|
7.5%
|
|
1896 |
34,350
|
82,596
|
3,292
|
27.8%
|
66.9%
|
5.3%
|
|
1898 |
28,485
|
53,900
|
2,326
|
33.2%
|
62.9%
|
|
|
1900 |
40,086
|
73,470
|
3,648
|
34.0%
|
62.3%
|
|
|
1902 |
38,107
|
63,354
|
4,429
|
35.3%
|
58.7%
|
5.9%
|
|
1904 |
50,146
|
76,962
|
2,788
|
38.1%
|
58.5%
|
|
|
1906 |
61,363
|
69,427
|
1,551
|
46.0%
|
52.0%
|
|
|
1908 |
66,278
|
73,551
|
1,421
|
46.5%
|
51.6%
|
|
|
1910 |
73,304
|
64,644
|
1,641
|
51.8%
|
45.7%
|
|
|
1912 |
67,702
|
70,931
|
2,081
|
47.7%
|
50.0%
|
|
|
1914 |
62,076
|
58,887
|
18,226
|
43.8%
|
41.6%
|
14.6%
|
|
1916 |
67,930
|
81,760
|
1,465
|
44.9%
|
54.0%
|
|
|
1918 |
59,050
|
64,069
|
48.0%
|
52.0%
|
||
|
1920 |
70,047
|
135,393
|
34.1%
|
65.9%
|
||
|
1922 |
75,256
|
103,713
|
42.0%
|
58.0%
|
||
|
1924 |
108,626
|
145,281
|
42.8%
|
57.2%
|
||
|
1926 |
80,748
|
100,776
|
44.5%
|
55.5%
|
||
|
1928 |
65,572
|
148,053
|
30.7%
|
69.3%
|
||
|
1930 |
67,172
|
82,310
|
44.9%
|
55.1%
|
||
|
1932 |
121,158
|
118,800
|
1,137
|
50.3%
|
49.3%
|
|
|
1934 |
156,917
|
133,418
|
314
|
54.0%
|
45.9%
|
|
|
1936 |
130,466
|
173,716
|
5,862
|
42.1%
|
56.0%
|
|
|
1938 |
139,745
|
157,206
|
287
|
47.0%
|
52.9%
|
|
|
1940 |
92,003
|
162,719
|
325
|
36.1%
|
63.8%
|
|
|
1942 |
58,558
|
118,047
|
33.2%
|
66.8%
|
||
|
1944 |
55,783
|
131,849
|
29.7%
|
70.3%
|
||
|
1946 |
69,624
|
110,327
|
38.7%
|
61.3%
|
||
|
1948 |
76,544
|
145,956
|
34.4%
|
65.6%
|
||
|
1950 |
94,300
|
145,823
|
1,054
|
39.1%
|
60.5%
|
|
|
1952 |
82,538
|
128,532
|
35,732
|
33.2%
|
51.7%
|
15.0%
|
|
1954 |
135,673
|
113,298
|
54.5%
|
45.5%
|
||
|
1956 |
180,254
|
124,395
|
59.2%
|
40.8%
|
||
|
1958 |
145,673
|
134,572
|
52.0%
|
48.0%
|
||
|
1960 |
197,447
|
219,768
|
47.3%
|
52.7%
|
||
|
1962 |
146,121
|
146,604
|
49.9%
|
50.1%
|
||
|
1966 |
172,036
|
151,802
|
53.1%
|
46.9%
|
||
|
1970 |
163,138
|
162,248
|
50.1%
|
49.9%
|
||
|
1974 |
132,219
|
84,176
|
146,661
|
35.9%
|
22.9%
|
41.2%
|
|
1978 |
176,493
|
126,862
|
65,889
|
40.4%
|
29.0%
|
30.6%
|
|
1982 |
281,066
|
172,949
|
6,280
|
61.1%
|
37.6%
|
|
|
1986 |
128,744
|
170,312
|
127,805
|
30.2%
|
39.9%
|
29.9%
|
| 1990 | 230,028 | 244,366 | 48,377 | 44.0% | 46.7% | 9.3% |
| 1994 | 172,951 | 117,990 | 180,829 | 33.8% | 23.1% | 43.1% |
| 1998 | 50,506 | 79,716 | 246,772 | 12.0% | 18.9% | 58.6% |
| 2002 | 238,197 | 209,196 | 46,903 | 48.2% | 42.3% | 9.5% |
| 2006 | 209,927 | 166,425 | 118,715 | 31.1% | 30.2% | 21.6% |
| 2010 | 109,387 | 218,065 | 208,270 | 18.8% | 37.6% | 40.9% |
| 2014 | final | results | pending | 43.3% | 48.2% | 8.4% |
Maine’s four year gubernatorial term started with the 1958 election, not 1962. Clinton A. Clauson was elected governor that year. He died December 30, 1959, and was succeeded by John H. Reed, then president of the state senate, who served out the remaining three years of Governor Clauson’s term. Governor Reed was elected governor for a full term in 1962, becoming the first governor to serve four years in a single term.
Thanks, Don.