U.S. House, Maine 1st Congressional District · November 3, 2026
Who should I vote for in Maine's 1st Congressional District?
Chellie Pingree has the strongest record in Maine's 1st Congressional District. Chellie Pingree scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Ronald Russell at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Chellie Pingree's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ronald Russell's highest marks are accountability and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Chellie Pingree
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 63
Republican
Ronald Russell
On the ballot as Ronald C. Russell
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 65
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Chellie Pingree
- Mark against2015-07
In a 2015 FEC conciliation agreement (MUR 6394), her campaign paid a $9,750 civil penalty over two 2010 flights on her then-fiance's private jet.
Sources: Portland Press Herald, July 16, 2015, FEC, MUR 6394 conciliation agreement
- Credit2025-04
Held open in-person town halls in Rockport and Westbrook in April 2025; the Rockport event drew more than 500 people.
Sources: Maine Public, April 14, 2025, Portland Press Herald, April 8, 2025
- Credit2023
The Lugar Center Bipartisan Index ranked her 71st of 436 House members for 2023, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House scores
Ronald Russell
- Credit1976 to 2006
Served 30 years in the Army as an airborne Ranger and Green Beret, with combat service in Panama, Somalia and Afghanistan, retiring as a colonel.
Sources: Maine Morning Star via Yahoo News, June 10, 2026, Ballotpedia, Ronald Russell
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Chellie Pingree. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine found. A 2015 FEC conciliation over 2010 flights is older than 10 years (E1) and is in her Record.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00433391
Ronald Russell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00860379
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Chellie Pingree. No public record found.
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Chellie Pingree. Held two open in-person town halls in April 2025, one drawing more than 500 people, and accepted the only general election debate offered, set for Oct. 29, 2026.
Sources: Maine Public, April 14, 2025, Maine Morning Star via Yahoo News, Sept. 29, 2026
Ronald Russell. Agreed to the only general election debate offered, on Oct. 29, 2026, while objecting to the late date; took part in a May 2026 primary debate and a Maine Public call-in interview.
Sources: Maine Morning Star via Yahoo News, Sept. 29, 2026, Maine Public, June 10, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Chellie Pingree. Has served in the U.S. House since 2009 with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: GovTrack member page
Ronald Russell. Thirty years in the Army, retiring as a colonel, then a defense business owner, with no formal conduct finding found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Chellie Pingree. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electoral votes (Roll Calls 10 and 11). No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: Clerk of the House, Roll Call 10 (2021), Clerk of the House, Roll Call 11 (2021)
Ronald Russell. Served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 2006 (E10). No official finding of misuse of office and no action to reject certified results found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Ronald Russell
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Chellie Pingree. U.S. representative for Maine's 1st District since January 2009, nine terms, and a former Maine state senator.
Source: GovTrack member page
Ronald Russell. West Point graduate who served 30 years in the Army as a Ranger and Special Forces officer, retiring as a colonel, with combat service in Panama, Somalia and Afghanistan. Has not held elected office.
Sources: Maine Morning Star via Yahoo News, June 10, 2026, Ballotpedia, Ronald Russell
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Chellie Pingree. Ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment subcommittee; also sits on the Agriculture Committee. Discussed specific appropriations work in a 2026 Maine Public interview.
Sources: GovTrack member page, committees, Bangor Daily News, June 10, 2026
Ronald Russell. Published positions in the Maine Public questionnaire and Ballotpedia survey, mostly in general terms (for example cutting Medicaid fraud and reviewing alternatives to Social Security).
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Chellie Pingree. Holds town halls, offers an e-mail newsletter, took a Maine Public call-in interview in October 2026 and accepted the general election debate.
Sources: pingree.house.gov contact page, Maine Public, Oct. 5, 2026, Maine Public, April 14, 2025
Ronald Russell. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and the Maine Public questionnaire, took part in a primary debate and a Maine Public call-in interview.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Ronald Russell, Maine Public Your Vote 2026 profile, Maine Public, Maine Calling, Sept. 28, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Chellie Pingree. Lives on North Haven, which she represented in the Maine Senate in the 1990s. About 40 percent of itemized individual contributions by state in 2025 to 2026 came from Maine (FEC by-state totals).
Sources: Bangor Daily News, June 10, 2026, Center for Effective Lawmaking, State Legislative Effectiveness Scores data file, FEC candidate page
Ronald Russell. Lives in Kennebunkport, in the district; grew up in Fort Fairfield and says he moved back to Maine in June 2021. About 24 percent of itemized individual contributions by state in 2025 to 2026 came from Maine (FEC by-state totals).
Sources: Maine Public Your Vote 2026 profile, Campaign site, About, FEC candidate page
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Chellie Pingree. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC and no administrative fine was found. The 2015 civil penalty is older than 10 years and not scored (E1).
Source: FEC administrative fines search, committee C00433391
Ronald Russell. Co-founded a defense services company that he says grew to more than 150 employees over 14 years. Campaign reports are on file with no FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: Campaign site, About, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00860379
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Chellie Pingree. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates her Meets Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.362, benchmark 0.551), with no bill enacted that Congress. GovTrack counts 3 enacted bills as primary sponsor since 2009.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress (Pingree ME row, 118th), Center for Effective Lawmaking, data download page, GovTrack member page
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Chellie Pingree. GovTrack reports she missed 315 of 10,869 roll call votes, 2.9 percent, from January 2009 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack member page
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Chellie Pingree. District offices in Portland and Waterville and a casework request service for constituents dealing with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: pingree.house.gov contact page, pingree.house.gov services page
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Chellie Pingree. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023 (118th Congress, first session), the latest House release: score 0.35817, rank 71 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House scores
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Chellie Pingree. No public record found.
Ronald Russell. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Maine's 1st Congressional District?
Chellie Pingree has the strongest record in Maine's 1st Congressional District. Chellie Pingree scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Ronald Russell at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Chellie Pingree's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ronald Russell's highest marks are accountability and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Maine's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Chellie Pingree (Democratic, incumbent), Ronald C. Russell (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Chellie Pingree a good candidate for Congress?
Chellie Pingree scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Ronald Russell a good candidate for Congress?
Ronald Russell scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Maine race scored, and the Maine 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.