America was a divided nation going into the election and may be more divided coming out.

Donald Trump never claimed to be a “uniter,” and his stunning win means that new political battle lines are already forming.

Despite that one clear result, a lot remains uncertain, a result of the preference of western states to vote by mail, culminating in California’s new law sending ballots to every registered voter.

Those systems mean it may be weeks before it’s determined who controls the U.S. House of Representatives, where a handful of close races could make Hakeem Jeffries a Democratic speaker or leave the job in the hands of Mike Johnson, who has held it just a year after his Republican predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was deposed by own caucus.

Will the second Trump administration resemble the “trifecta” he held from 2017-19, or the end of his first term, when Democrats retook the House majority and the GOP legislative agenda ground to a halt?

A similar situation could be emerging in Maine, where Democrats have retained control of the state Senate with at least 19 seats, but the House is, as of this writing, a tossup.

In the Senate, Democrats started from a strong position, with 22 seats in the 35-member chamber. They appear to have lost two: District 1 in northern Aroostook County that was held by term-limited Senate President Troy Jackson and the Waterville-area District 16, where Scott Cyrway, though facing a strong challenge from Nathaniel White, looks set to return to the Senate after one term in the House.

Other tight contests include Augusta-area District 15, where two House veterans, Democrat Raegan Larochelle and Republican Dick Bradstreet, faced off. And in District 8, Mike Tipping, a first-term Democrat, held a narrow election-night lead.

For those frustrated by the lack of early results, Maine’s informal system of reporting is responsible. In many small towns, election officials go home after counting ballots, under no obligation to field inquiries until the next day.

The House may take awhile to sort out. A handful of incumbents lost seats but, as usual, it was in open races where most potential changes occurred. We may even have to wait for recounts.

If Republicans do prevail, it would mark a major shift. Since Democrat John Martin was elected speaker in 1974, Democrats have had a House majority the entire half century except for one term, 2010-2012, when Republican Gov. Paul LePage swept in a short-lived majority.

So, it was ironic that Martin, attempting a comeback for what would have been his 28th legislative term — by far a record — lost his bid to return one more time.

Taking the speaker’s gavel could be the free-wheeling Billy Bob Faulkingham of Winter Harbor, current Republican Leader, a lobsterman who survived the sinking of his boat while pulling traps in the teeth of a hurricane.

Or it could be one of two Democrats: Kristen Cloutier of Lewiston, now assistant majority leader, or Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford, attempting a comeback after serving as speaker from 2020-2022. There are others in the race, though their chances seem slim.

The overarching presence for the Legislature will continue to be Gov. Janet Mills, entering her last two years, who has dominated the Democratic caucus and won’t likely give much ground even to a Republican speaker.

Nationally, Trump will be the only president to serve non-consecutive terms besides Democrat Grover Cleveland, who was elected in 1884, lost in 1888, and won again in 1892, taking the popular vote all three times — not a feat Trump can claim.

The late 19th and early 21st centuries seem vastly different, but there are echoes. Like the present, the post-Reconstruction period was fiercely competitive, with wild swings in control of Congress and one-term presidencies more the rule than the exception.

Cleveland’s second term was not a success; over almost before it started. The Panic of 1893, a severe recession, began even before he took office.

He’d initially been elected in 1884 as a “man of integrity,” contrasting sharply with Republican James G. Blaine, “the continental liar from the State of Maine” — a charge that stuck.

Trump will not carry Cleveland’s reputation into office, but he will have a Senate likely to confirm his appointees and a compliant Supreme Court that’s already conveyed a near-total, extra-constitutional grant of immunity from any lingering criminal charges.

Still, the convulsions of the pandemic, and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, were worldwide shocks few anticipated — and that’s just the last four years.

All we can be sure of is that the next four years are likely again to defy our expectations.

Douglas Rooks has been a Maine editor, columnist and reporter for 40 years. He is the author of four books, most recently a biography of U.S. Chief Justice Melville Fuller, and welcomes comment at drooks@tds.net.

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U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District clinched a fourth term over state Rep. Austin Theriault in a tight Tuesday election that is one of the closest in Maine history and is almost certainly headed to a recount.

Golden, a Marine veteran who first won election to Congress in 2018, had 50.4 percent of votes to 49.6 percent for Theriault, a former NASCAR driver endorsed by former President Donald Trump, when the Bangor Daily News and its national partner, Decision Desk HQ, called the race at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday. 

The result was only settled after military and overseas ballots — the last ones to be counted — came in heavily in favor of Golden. It served as another reminder of his durability as one of the few Democrats representing districts friendly to Trump, who won the 2nd District by 8 percentage points en route to capturing the White House in a romp.

To do it, Golden had to convince a sliver of Republicans to keep his seat. The result showed that he was successful in doing so, contrasting with a horrible night for national Democrats. Republicans won the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and they had a 92 percent chance of keeping control of the House as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to Decision Desk HQ.

During a Wednesday news conference in his home city of Lewiston, Golden complimented Theriault as a “fierce competitor” and thanked his constituents.

“I want you to know that I am going to continue on with this work for the next two years with everything that I have to give to deliver results for you and your family,” he said.

It was the toughest reelection fight yet for Golden, 42, who frustrated voters on both the right and left during the campaign by saying he would not vote for Trump but was “OK” with the Republican winning while refusing to say if he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee who replaced President Joe Biden on the ticket this summer.

Theriault’s campaign issued a statement after the race was called on Wednesday that noted the race falls well within the 1.5-percentage-point difference that triggers a state-funded recount. There are no automatic recounts in Maine, so the campaign must request one.

“This race still remains too close to call,” Theriault’s campaign said.

Theriault, 30, who was backed by national Republicans, criticized Golden over his decision last October to no longer oppose an assault-style weapons ban following a mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston. Theriault and Republican allies also claimed Golden was in lockstep with Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration on issues such as border security.

In reality, Golden voted against Biden’s policies more than any other House Democrat in 2023 and mentioned his work with the Trump administration in ads that touched on his advocacy for veterans or efforts to fight regulations opposed by Maine’s lobstermen.

The 2nd District contest was one of the biggest congressional races in the country, with outside groups spending around $25 million to try to influence voters as polling ahead of Tuesday indicated the contest was tight. Golden’s victory gives Democrats hope as they sought to chip away at the GOP’s slim House majority that stood at 220-212 ahead of Tuesday.

Golden pointed to his independent streak and bipartisanship during the campaign, and voters in cities such as Bangor and smaller towns throughout the rural district mentioned that Tuesday. Even if not agreeing with Golden on various issues, voters pointed to abortion rights and health care in explaining why they supported him over Theriault.

At the polls in Milford on Tuesday, Stephanie Lombardo, 42, embodied the ticket-splitting phenomenon that clinched the election for Golden. She supported Golden while also supporting state Rep. Gary Drinkwater, a Republican from her town.

“[Golden] thinks of what’s best for us and not just what’s best for [his party],” Lombardo said.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate known for defying party orthodoxy, was defending his seat in Congress against Austin Theriault, a stock car driver and Republican state lawmaker, but the race was too early to call Wednesday morning.

The matchup between Golden and Theriault is one of a handful of pivotal races with a chance to influence control of the U.S. House of Representatives during a competitive election year. It played out in the largest congressional district by area on the East Coast, a largely rural part of Maine where former President Donald Trump has proven very popular with voters.

Early Wednesday, the two were in a tight race with much of the vote yet to be counted.

Golden is a former Marine who is in his third term representing the 2nd Congressional District, which is typically described as a swing district. The district covers a vast part of Maine that includes a handful of small cities but is perhaps best known as the home of traditional northern New England industries such as lobster fishing and logging.

During the campaign, Golden touted his ability to work with members of either political party along with his advocacy on behalf of the lobster industry, which is the lifeblood of the region’s economy.

“I’ve been one of the most independent minded members of Congress, one of the most bipartisan,” Golden said during an October debate, in which he added that he voted against President Joe Biden “more than any other Democrat in the House of Representatives.”

Theriault, who was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2022, spent much of the campaign portraying Golden as too liberal for the district. Although Theriault had the backing of Trump, he also attempted to portray himself as a potential uniter during a divided time in Washington.

“We need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” Theriault said during the October debate. “I’m somebody that can go down there and get the job done. I want to advocate for everybody.”

Golden was first elected to Congress in 2018, when he needed a ranked choice voting count to defeat Republican incumbent Rep Bruce Poliquin. Golden has since been reelected twice, including defeating Poliquin without the need for a ranked count in 2022.

Golden’s victory in 2018 was the first time a member of Congress was elected via ranked choice voting. The voting method seemed unlikely to play a role in this year’s election because there was no third party candidate on the ballot, though write-in candidates were still possible.

Golden has held onto his seat despite Trump dominating the district in recent presidential elections. Maine is one of two states to apportion electoral votes by congressional district — Nebraska is the other — and Trump has twice won his sole New England electoral vote in Maine’s 2nd District.

Maine’s other electoral votes — two for the statewide vote and one of the 1st Congressional District — have gone to the Democratic candidate because the deep blue 1st District is based around Portland, the largest city in the state and a liberal stronghold. Golden ran campaign ads during the race about his willingness to work with Trump for the good of the 2nd District.

In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree sought her ninth term against Republican challenger Ron Russell and independent Ethan Alcorn.

In Maine’s Senate race, incumbent Angus King, and independent, was ahead in his bid for a third term, but with much of the vote still to be counted, it was unclear whether ranked voting would be needed to decide the four-way contest.

A candidate must receive a majority of votes under Maine’s ranked voting. If not, an extra voting round means a winner won’t be formally declared for a week under the system that allows voters to rank candidates in order on the ballot. Under the system, the last-place candidate is eliminated, those voters’ second-choices are applied, and votes are reallocated.

King, who was first elected to the Senate in 2012, said he can help bridge the gap in an increasingly divided Washington, expressing worry that “we’re losing the middle in the Senate.”

“I think I have a role to play to bridge the divide, to listen to people, to bring people together and to compromise to solve these difficult issues,” he said when he launched his reelection bid.

King was challenged by Republican Demi Kouzounas, a former GOP state chair, dentist and U.S. Army veteran, and Democrat David Costello, a former senior government official who led the Maryland Department of the Environment and the climate and clean energy program at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Also in the race was another independent, Jason Cherry.

The 80-year-old former governor would be the oldest senator in state history if he completes the term ending in 2030, but he was not dogged during the campaign by questions about his age like President Joseph Biden was before stepping down as the Democratic presidential nominee.

King has survived a pair of cancer scares. He was treated for malignant melanoma — a skin cancer — at 29 and had surgery for prostate cancer in 2015.

In Washington, he is part of an increasingly small number of senators in the middle with the departure of Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.

King has long said he doesn’t want to be tied to any party, though he caucuses with Democrats, and that served him well in a state where independents used to represent the largest voting bloc. But both major parties have overtaken unenrolled voters in sheer numbers in recent years.