Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is passing on a potential statewide bid for governor or the Senate and instead will seek re-election in a key swing congressional district that Republicans are working to flip in the 2026 midterm elections.
"I have decided the best way to continue serving the people of Maine is to do my part to restore balance in Congress by helping to win back the House of Representatives. My focus will remain on checking the extremes and putting working-class families first," Golden said Tuesday morning in a social media post, as he announced his re-election.
Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a moderate Democrat who often bucks his own party in Congress.
He has held the seat in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which is one of the most competitive in the nation, since first winning it in 2018.
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Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And President Donald Trump carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points.
"While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the GOP majority runs through Maine," said the 42-year-old Golden, who had been floated as a potential gubernatorial or Senate candidate.
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As Republicans aim to defend their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, Golden's district is in their crosshairs.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said that "we look forward to making out-of-touch Democrat Jared Golden wish he ran for governor."
But the top Democrats in House leadership countered that "Jared's dedication to representing all of his constituents - no matter their party affiliation - makes him uniquely suited to once again win one of the toughest seats in the country for Democrats to hold."
"He's also helping Democrats flip Republican seats in competitive districts throughout America," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) added in a joint statement.
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Challenging Golden is former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is a major Trump supporter and ally.
"I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress," Golden said in his announcement.
LePage, in his first interview after announcing his candidacy earlier this month, told Fox News Digital, "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now."
"Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in Lewiston, the Maine city where he was born and raised.
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LePage - the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state - was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago.
"I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help," LePage told Fox News.
