Maine hasn't elected a Republican to the House since 1994, but 2nd CD Rep. Mike Michaud's bid for governor in 2014 gives Republicans a long-awaited shot at an open seat in the state's more rural, competitive district. Democrats have an arguably stronger bench of candidates, and the seat leans slightly Democratic, but 2002/2012 GOP nominee Kevin Raye and former state Treasurer Bruce Poliquin are running on the Republican side.Maine’s two districts haven’t needed to be altered much since the state lost its third seat in 1960, and didn’t need to this time: after the 2010 census, the northern 2nd District contained just 8,000 more residents than the southern 1st. In September 2011, GOP Gov. Paul LePage signed a map shifting only Waterville, an old mill town home to Colby College, from the 2nd District to the 1st, making the 2nd negligibly less Democratic. ME-01: Chellie Pingree (D) – South: Portland, AugustaSolid Democratic. Republicans may have missed their best shot at Pingree in 2010, when they failed to anticipate the coming wave and left the nomination to under-funded alternative energy businessman
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