Maine’s Senate debates are next week, but 120,000 voters already cast their ballot

The State of Maine official ballot for the November 2024 election. (Photo by Maine Morning Star)

Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King and his challengers will take the debate stage twice next week to hash out policy stances and key issues to provide voters with more information before Election Day. 

That is, voters who haven’t already cast their ballots. 

Of the nearly 230,000 absentee ballots requested for the Nov. 5 election, more than 120,000 were already returned as of Friday afternoon, according to data from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State. 

King is facing Republican Demi Kouzounas, Democrat David Costello and independent Jason Cherry — which means the race will use ranked-choice voting. The former Maine governor easily won his first campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and had little trouble getting reelected in 2018. 

Debates for Maine’s federal races kick off this week

Last June, Costello challenged his competitors to a series of five debates starting in July — well before in-person absentee voting began statewide on Oct. 7. However, that plan never came to fruition and the debates will now take place just days before the election, after tens of thousands of Mainers have already voted.

“Given that so many Mainers are now voting early, it’s important that future candidate debates take place earlier than mid-to-late October,” Costello said Tuesday. “Maine’s voters and candidates for election would both be better served, and so too would democracy in Maine.”

The first debate will be held Monday, hosted by WGME and the Bangor Daily News. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and NEWS CENTER Maine are hosting the second Wednesday evening.

Each debate has a required polling threshold to participate — 5% for the WGME debate and 10% for NEWS CENTER Maine. As of Tuesday, Cherry does not qualify for either debate, according to polling data. Costello meets the 5% requirement, but is on the border for the higher threshold. 

The other two congressional races in Maine, for the state’s 1st and 2nd U.S. House districts, have already held their debates.

Maine Morning Star published a series of stories that asked all the Senate candidates and those running for Maine’s 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts where they stand on policy issues including immigration, energy, education and the economy.