From Richard Winger at Ballot Access News:
On October 29, Eliot Cutler, independent candidate for Governor of Maine, called a press conference. Speculation was that he would drop out. However, he said at his conference that he is not dropping out, although he acknowledged that he is unlikely to win, and he seemed to suggest that he would understand if his supporters don’t vote for him. See this story.
After the election, when an initiativi [sic] starts to circulate in Maine to establish ranked-choice voting, it will be interesting to see if Cutler is supportive. So far, he has not been supportive of ranked-choice voting.
From the article cited, written by Jon Terbush:
Polls have shown Michaud running even with Gov. Paul LePage (R), with Cutler a distant third. But Michaud and Cutler are splitting the anti-LePage vote — a large pool given that more than half of the state views LePage unfavorably. Seeking to capitalize on this dynamic, Republicans have quietly praised Cutler in ads, hoping he would rise at Michaud’s expense.
LePage eked out a victory in a three-way race in 2010 with less than 38 percent of the vote. A PPP poll released last week found Michaud and LePage deadlocked in a three-way race at 40 percent apiece, though Michaud posted a five-point lead with Cutler out of the picture.