Maine's open governor race downgraded from safe to likely Democratic.

This aggregator's race ratings moved the Maine governor contest from safe-Democratic to likely-Democratic on June 8, 2026, the only rating change recorded in the prior 24 hours. The seat is open: Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is barred by term limits from seeking another term, producing wide primary fields in both parties decided under Maine's ranked-choice voting system.^[1] The Democratic field includes Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, renewable-energy company co-founder Angus King III, former state House Speaker Hannah Pingree, and former Maine CDC official Nirav Shah.^[2] On the Republican side, former State Department official Bobby Charles led the first-choice tally, with a field that also included healthcare businessman Jonathan Bush, real estate businessman David Jones, former state legislator Garrett Mason, and businessman Ben Midgley.^[1][3] Maine has not elected consecutive governors from the same party in 74 years.^[2]

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted over six days and reported June 9 found 36% of Americans approved of U.S. strikes on Iran, and 25% said the benefits of the strikes had been worth the costs (n=4,531, ±2.0pp).^[5] On energy costs, 59% of respondents said they expected U.S. gas prices to get worse over the next year, against 17% who expected improvement.^[5] The poll also recorded a generic congressional ballot of 41% for Democrats to 37% for Republicans among registered voters, and a near-even split on which party has the better economic plan (37% Republicans, 36% Democrats).^[5] Separately, the Associated Press reported that the Consumer Price Index rose from 2.4% at the start of the year to 3.8% as of April amid the conflict-driven rise in gas prices.^[6]

• 36% approved of U.S. strikes on Iran; 25% said the benefits were worth the costs.^[5]
• 59% expected gas prices to worsen over the next year; 17% expected improvement.^[5]
• Generic congressional ballot: Democrats 41%, Republicans 37% among registered voters.^[5]

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey published June 8, conducted April 16-20 (n=2,596, ±2.6pp), found that about one-quarter of U.S. adults (25%) said the United States "stands above all other countries in the world," while 44% said it is among the greatest countries alongside some others, and about 3 in 10 said there are better countries than the U.S. — up from 19% in an AP-NORC poll conducted in June 2016.^[7][9][10] On the American Dream, 34% said the idea that hard work lets a person get ahead still holds true, 51% said it once held true but no longer does, and 15% said it was never true.^[11] The survey recorded a wide partisan gap: 57% of Republicans said the American Dream still holds, compared with 17% of Democrats, and about half of Republicans said the U.S. stands above all other countries, compared with 7% of Democrats.^[9][11] Among adults under 30, 22% said the American Dream still holds.^[9]

• 25% say the U.S. stands above all other nations; 44% say it is among the greatest; about 30% say other countries are better, up from 19% in 2016.^[7][10]
• American Dream: 34% say it still holds, 51% say it once did but no longer, 15% say it never did.^[11]
• Partisan gap on the American Dream still holding: 57% of Republicans vs. 17% of Democrats.^[9][11]