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Campaign 2026: Maine Governor Debate
Confirmed
In Short: With the money flooding many campaigns, candidates can pay to air their message without risking a debate gaffe.
Thursday night marked the start of an intense debate season for Maine's gubernatorial candidates, with the first debate set to begin at 7 p.m. on WMTW and streamed online.
Democratic incumbent Janet Mills and her challengers will face off in a series of debates over the next few weeks, with the first debate moderated by WMTW anchor Jon Chrisos.
Mills, who is in her final year of her second term as governor, will be challenged by Matt Dunlap, Paul LePage, and other candidates.
Dunlap had previously called for four debates across Maine’s sprawling 2nd District, suggesting events in Bangor, Lewiston, the Downeast region, and northern Maine.
Collins, another candidate, accepted four debate invitations and pushed for the first meeting to occur in September, before early voting.
Charles, a candidate, initially challenged Pingree and Bennett to five longer, issue-specific debates around Maine modeled after the Lincoln-Douglas format.
The debate schedule becomes even more compressed in Maine’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, with four meetings scheduled between Republican and Democratic candidates.
The debates are part of a larger trend in midterm contests where high-profile Senate races in Ohio and Texas have gone without formal debates between major contenders.
Some candidates assert that debates aren’t worth their time, especially given the declining share of voters tuning in to watch.
It’s not unusual for challengers in difficult races to seek multiple debates with an incumbent.
The debate will be broadcast live on WMTW, with streaming also available through WMTW’s website, YouTube channel, and Very Local platform.
You can rewatch the debate on the WMTW YouTube channel.
What this adds
The debate schedule for the 2nd Congressional District race, which was previously reported to be on Oct. 26, is now confirmed to start one hour after the gubernatorial debate on Thursday night.
The debates are part of an unusually compressed October debate calendar that will feature repeated opportunities for voters to see candidates competing for governor, Congress, and the U.S. Senate.
Background
Maine's 2nd Congressional District candidates will debate on Oct. 26.
Moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash opened the debate by asking both candidates about affordability in California, a topic that has resonated strongly with voters.
What's confirmed
- Thursday night marked the start of an intense debate season for Maine's gubernatorial candidates, with the first debate set to begin at 7 p.m. on WMTW and streamed online.
- Democratic incumbent Janet Mills and her challengers will face off in a series of debates over the next few weeks, with the first debate moderated by WMTW anchor Jon Chrisos.
- Mills, who is in her final year of her second term as governor, will be challenged by Matt Dunlap, Paul LePage, and other candidates.
- Dunlap had previously called for four debates across Maine’s sprawling 2nd District, suggesting events in Bangor, Lewiston, the Downeast region, and northern Maine.
- Collins, another candidate, accepted four debate invitations and pushed for the first meeting to occur in September, before early voting.
- Charles, a candidate, initially challenged Pingree and Bennett to five longer, issue-specific debates around Maine modeled after the Lincoln-Douglas format.
- The debate schedule becomes even more compressed in Maine’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, with four meetings scheduled between Republican and Democratic candidates.
- The debates are part of a larger trend in midterm contests where high-profile Senate races in Ohio and Texas have gone without formal debates between major contenders.
- Some candidates assert that debates aren’t worth their time, especially given the declining share of voters tuning in to watch.
- It’s not unusual for challengers in difficult races to seek multiple debates with an incumbent.
- The debate will be broadcast live on WMTW, with streaming also available through WMTW’s website, YouTube channel, and Very Local platform.
- You can rewatch the debate on the WMTW YouTube channel.
What's still developing
- Jackson pushed for town hall-style events that would allow voters to question the candidates directly, while Collins’ campaign said it had not agreed to the format proposed by Jackson.
- Maine’s general election campaign enters a new phase Thursday as candidates in three of the state’s biggest races prepare for a packed month of televised debates, beginning with back-to-back showdowns in the gubernatorial and 2nd Congressional District races.
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- By Daniela Altimari, Niels Lesniewski and Mary Ellen McIntire Debates have been a part of politics since the days of Lincoln-Douglas.
- And with the money flooding many of these campaigns, candidates can pay to air their message without risking a debate gaffe.
- Derrick Van Orden, competing in a battleground race in Wisconsin, couldn’t come to an agreement on a debate schedule.
- Graham, though, perhaps wary of her own mishap at an August primary debate, has confirmed her participation in just one so far.
- Mills, a Democrat, was running for Sen. Susan Collins' U.S. Senate seat but announced Thursday that she was suspending her campaign.
- Maine's Total Coverage political reporter Jackie Mundry interviewed each of the five gubernatorial candidates who qualified for the Democratic primary ballot before Thursday's debate.
- You can also learn more about each of the candidates for Maine governor, including where they call home, in the interactive graphic below.