Democrat Hannah Pingree and MAGA ally Bobby Charles will face off for Maine governor

This post was originally published on Politico.

Former Maine state House Speaker Hannah Pingree, a Democrat, and MAGA conservative Bobby Charles will face off in what’s expected to be a competitive general election for Maine governor.

Both emerged from the state’s ranked choice voting process early Friday morning, with Pingree — the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) — leapfrogging front-runner and former public health official Nirav Shah in the Democratic runoff.

An independent candidate, Rick Bennett, has also qualified to be on the ballot in the race to succeed current Gov. Janet Mills. Bennett, a state senator and the former Maine GOP chair, left the party