Maine has been under divided government since 2012 when Democrats took control of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine State Senate while Republican Paul LePage held the governorship. Republicans took control of the governorship in 2010 when LePage was first elected and took back control of the state Senate in 2014.
Maine is one of 36 states holding an election for governor in 2018. Heading into the 2018 elections, there are 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor will hold a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor will hold a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election are open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor is not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections