Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
36.9%
25.4%
21%
Democrat
Joe Baldacci
Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Maine
ME-02 Democratic nominee?
$99.1K
JUN 10, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Live Odds — ME-02 Democratic nominee?
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
0.1%chance to win
$99.1KJUN 10, 2026Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleU.S. Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyMainstream Democrat
Age61 years old (Feb 21, 1965)
GenderMale
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LocationMaine
BackgroundAttorney
EducationUniversity of Maine (BA)
Notable personal detailsJoseph "Joe" Baldacci is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Bangor, Maine. He has served on the Bangor City Council (including two terms as council chair/mayor) and later represented Bangor and Hermon in the Maine Senate. In 2026, he filed as a Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Maine's 2nd Congressional District (ME-02).
SourcesShowHide
docquery.fec.govmainepublic.orgfec.govbaldacciforcongress.comen.wikipedia.orgthecandidate.comefoservices.fec.govapi.open.fec.govdeveloper.ballotpedia.orgdccc.orgfilpac.comballotclarity.orglldc.mainelegislature.orgbangormaine.govballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.comde.wikipedia.orgmainesenate.orgbangordailynews.comscorecard.maineaflcio.orgsunjournal.comlegiscan.comthefreedomindex.orglegislature.maine.govmembers.maineenergymarketers.commainemorningstar.compressherald.comnewscentermaine.comspectrumlocalnews.comwmtw.comtheintercept.comnotus.orgrollcall.comnewsweek.comnytimes.comthe-downballot.comrawstory.comfacebook.comyoutube.comthemainemonitor.orgballotready.orgjustfacts.votesmart.orgvotesmart.orggovinfo.govcdn.ballotpedia.orgclerk.house.govcongress.govhistory.house.govwikidata.org
Political Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports targeted tax relief for homeowners and seniors while backing measures to increase fairness in taxation, including supporting a millionaire’s tax surcharge and corporate tax transparency. Proposes raising municipal revenue-sharing and expanding the homestead property tax exemption to reduce burdens on Mainers.
Healthcare
Supports expanding access to affordable care through state policy changes such as allowing zero-deductible health plans in the large-group market, increasing transparency of out-of-pocket costs, raising pay for health care support workers, and securing additional federal funding for mental health services. Focuses on pragmatic state-level reforms to improve affordability, primary care utilization, workforce pay, and mental health capacity.
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Immigration & Border
Supports limits on state/local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and has spoken in favor of welcoming immigrants and protections for DACA recipients. Has backed legislation restricting police from detaining people based on immigration status without a warrant or court order.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Joe Baldacci consistently votes to protect abortion and reproductive health access and has framed defending reproductive health care as a top priority. He has received perfect scores from Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund for his votes opposing bills that would restrict access and supported laws improving access to family planning and medication abortion safeguards.
Climate & Energy
Supports community resilience and clean-energy incentives and has backed legislation and grants to reduce emissions and prepare for extreme weather, while opposing mandates that would limit Mainers’ choice of heating fuels and arguing for market-driven, affordable approaches to energy. Emphasizes emergency energy relief for households facing high heating costs.
Public Safety & Guns
Joe Baldacci has sponsored legislation to prohibit paramilitary training and to restrict masked open carry in public gatherings, and has proposed a public registry and a system for surrendering firearms by people prohibited from possessing them. He has also voiced legal and due-process concerns about certain expansions to Maine’s “yellow flag”/red-flag procedures and voted against specific waiting-period and background-check bills. Overall his record includes both support for some targeted limits and objections to other gun-safety measures, producing a mixed position on firearms policy.
Latest News
AINews Summary
Last updatedJul 15, 2026
Joe Baldacci was defeated by Matt Dunlap in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary after the ranked-choice count was completed. Baldacci had briefly led in the first round, but Dunlap gained enough later-round support to win the nomination and will face Paul LePage in the general election. Baldacci had also been the DCCC-backed candidate in the race, which drew some local backlash over the endorsement.
docquery.fec.gov+47
Articles
PPPortland Press Herald3 months ago
Will ranked-choice counting swamp national Democrats’ pick in the 2nd District?
Positive
PPPortland Press Herald3 months ago
Contentious primaries draw Mainers to the polls
Neutral
PPPortland Press Herald3 months ago
Support Joe Baldacci for Congress | Letter
Positive
BDBangor Daily News4 months ago
Penobscot Democrats plan vote to condemn national endorsement in Maine’s 2nd District race
Negative
Latest Polls
ME-02 Democratic nominee?
Recent polling results and the candidate's current average in the race.
Joe Baldacci currently averages 36.9%, ranking first in this race, 11.5 points ahead of the nearest opponent.
Polling average: 36.9%Position: firstMargin: +11.5 ptsLatest poll: 27.0% (May 28 - Jun 3)Polls included: 9
Average recalculated from polls through May 28 - Jun 3.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Campaign Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2026Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
Total raisedCash on hand
$664.2K
$498.2K
$332.1K
$166.1K
$0
2026
LatestYear
Total raised
Cash on hand
Total spent
Burn rate
Cycle 2026
$664.2K
$20.1K
$644.1K
$35.8K
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Endorsements