Ron Russell wins GOP primary, setting up race against Rep. Pingree for Maine’s 1st District

Maine U.S. House 1st District candidate Ron Russell casts his early voting ballot. (Campaign photo)

Ron Russell won the Republican primary election Tuesday for Maine’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Russell won with 55% of the vote with three-quarters of the votes counted, defeating Andrew Piantidosi. He will move on to face U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who has held the seat since 2009, in the November election.

In a statement posted to social media after the race was called, Russell thanked his supporters as well as Piantidosi.

“Now, the real work begins,” Russell wrote. “I am committed to forging a new strategy, one that will pave the way for positive change in our district. Together, we will embark on a journey that no prior CD-1 Republican candidate has undertaken. Our goal? To challenge the status quo and bring about meaningful progress for all.”

As of late May, Russell had raised more than $54,000 for his campaign, according to federal filing records.

During a radio debate, Russell said he is a former Green Beret and had a 30-year career in the U.S. Army before retiring in the early 2000s. Afterwards, he opened a small defense company, Far Ridgeline Engagements based in North Carolina, which contracted with the Department of Defense before it was sold in 2022.

Russell was raised in Fort Fairfield where, according to his introduction, his father was a potato farmer and his mother was a teacher. He said during the radio debate that he returned to Maine in 2021 with the intention of running for this office.

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