A federal appeals court has denied Republican Congressman Bruce Poliquin's request to block the certification of a 2nd District election won by his opponent, Democrat Jared Golden.
The single-sentence order by the First Circuit Court Of Appeals simply says that Poliquin was unlikely to succeed on the claims he raised against the ranked-choice voting race won by Golden after the runoff held last month.
Poliquin can still pursue his appeal, but Friday's order effectively means that Golden will be seated when the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3.
The Republican is attempting to appeal a ruling by a U.S. District Court judge that dismantled all of Poliquin's claims that Maine's landmark ranked-choice voting law violates the U.S. Constitution.
So far, Poliquin's quest to retain his seat has been unsuccessful. He abandoned a recount of the election results after incurring a fee over $15,000 for costs associated with it.
