Maine Approves New Congressional and Legislative Districts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed new congressional and legislative districts into law, making Maine the second state to complete congressional redistricting this cycle. In spite of a compressed timeline due to census data delays, Maine’s Apportionment Commission reached bipartisan deals on state House and congressional lines last week and state Senate districts on Monday. On Wednesday, the Legislature approved the new districts in unanimous or near-unanimous votes, well above the required two-thirds threshold.
The new congressional map represents minimal changes from the previous decade, with a few towns in Kennebec County switching districts to account for changes in population. The 1st Congressional District will remain solidly Democratic and the 2nd Congressional District will continue to be highly competitive. Meanwhile, Democratic-leaning southern Maine will gain more of the state’s House and Senate districts due to depopulation in the state’s northern counties, although a new state Senate district in southern Maine is expected to favor Republicans.