Republican Austin Theriault ends recount, conceding to Democratic US Rep. Jared Golden

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republican Austin Theriault on Wednesday ended a recount in his congressional race in Maine and conceded to Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, bringing to an end the closely watched contest a month after Election Day.

Theriault decided to end the recount before its completion after early results did not show a significant change in the outcome after Golden won by 2,706 votes using the state’s ranked choice voting.

“I ran this campaign centered around putting people over politics, and it’s time to do that now,” Theriault announced, calling the contest “an extremely close and hard-fought race.”

Between ranked voting and the recount, the election was a drawn-out process.

Golden won the most first-choice votes but fell shy of a majority with less than 49% of the votes cast because about 12,000 ballots were either blank or had write-in candidates. That necessitated another voting round in which ballots were brought to Augusta, entered into a computer and reallocated with the second choices from ballots that were blank or had write-in candidates.

The Associated Press declared Golden the 2nd Congressional District winner upon conclusion of the process more than a week after Election Day. The recount began Monday.

“I’d like to thank the voters for participating in the greatest democracy the world has ever known, and all the staff and volunteers who helped ensure the election’s integrity on Election Day, during the runoff and over the course of this recount,” said Golden, who was in Washington when Theriault called to concede Wednesday.

This race drew attention and more than $50 million in spending as both parties fought to control the House of Representatives.

Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who demonstrated a willingness to defy his own party, campaigned on his ability to work with both Democrats and Republicans. He also touted his advocacy for the lobster industry, which is crucial to the economy in the region. But Golden was attacked for his opposition to assault weapons, which he announced after an Army reservist used an assault rifle to kill 18 people and injure 13 others in Lewiston in October 2023.

Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, had the backing of President-elect Donald Trump, but he also portrayed himself as a potential uniter during a time of division. “We need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” Theriault said previously.

It was the third time Golden won through an additional voting round under ranked voting. The system allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot and allows for additional voting rounds to ensure a majority winner. Ranked choice tabulations allowed Golden to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Bruce Poliquin in 2018, and to win a rematch in 2022.

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This story has been corrected to show Jared Golden received the most first-place votes.

David Sharp, The Associated Press