Citing hyper partisanship and a dysfunctional Congress, Democratic Rep. Jared Golden announced Wednesday that he's abandoning his reelection bid.
Golden made the announcement in a lengthy column in which he lamented the increasing hostility in the nation's politics and threats against him and his family.
He also took aim at what he described as the pugilistic voices taking control of the Democratic Party, comparing its current trajectory with the Tea Party that disrupted Republican Party politics 15 years ago.
Golden has been under fire by fellow Democrats and he drew a primary challenger in former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. He was on track to face former Republican Gov. Paul LePage if he won the primary. Recent polls showed a tight race in a prospective matchup between LePage and Golden, with the former governor holding an early lead.
"I don鈥檛 fear losing," Golden wrote in his in the BDN. "What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son."
His announcement marks a major shakeup in the 2nd Congressional District race, which was already a top target for both the national parties next year as Democrats and Republicans vie for control of the House. Golden has managed to hold the seat since 2019 despite the district's increasingly rightward turn during the rise of President Donald Trump.
The chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, Charlie Dingman, said he respects Golden's decision to step away and focus on his family given the vitriol and growing incidences of political violence. But Dingman was obviously caught off guard by Golden's announcement.
Dingman said it is too early to gauge what Golden's decision means for the 2nd District race.
"We just learned of this decision and I honestly feel a great deal of sympathy for the decision that the congressman has made," Dingman said. "It's going to take us a while to assess what is going to happen next. We have a primary process and it may well be that others will decide to join that process. We'll have to see how things develop."
In a statement, Dunlap thanked Golden for his military service and said he believed he's a "good person, husband, and father."
鈥淚n the days and months ahead I intend to vigorously campaign for Congress in Maine鈥檚 second congressional district 鈥� and I intend to win," Dunlap said, adding that 2nd District voters deserve a candidate "who will show up" and "listen."
"And they definitely deserve better than Paul LePage," he said.
Louis Sigel of Gardiner had also filed papers to run against Golden in the Democratic primary. But the congressman's decision could blow open that contest and affect others 鈥� such as the race for governor 鈥� that are on Maine's ballot next year.
Dingman said the Maine Democratic Party finds itself in a "hard moment" given Golden's track record of votes on health care, civil rights and other party priorities. But Dingman said LePage has "a long track record of doing the opposite (and) of dividing people."
LePage did not mention Golden in a statement on Wednesday.
鈥淭his race has always been about fighting for rural Maine," LePage said. "As governor, I spent eight years helping create jobs and making Maine more prosperous. I am running for Congress to make sure that working Maine families have a voice in Washington D.C. This fight is just beginning.鈥�
Golden's exit from the race could complicate Democrats' plans to retake the House during the 2026 midterms. Republicans and Democrats have spent heavily to win Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat in recent years.
Golden is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House after winning several close elections. He represents Maine's conservative 2nd District, which has voted for President Donald Trump decisively in each of the three presidential elections he's been on the ballot.
Golden was widely hailed by Democrats as the solution to the Trump-friendly 2nd Congressional District, but he has faced a barrage of criticism from Democrats since then and increasingly so during Trump's second term.
Golden has since sided with Trump鈥檚 tariff scheme, of its deployment. He has generally avoided directly criticizing the president. That, too, has angered Democratic voters at a time when that they want more fight from Democratic politicians against Trump鈥檚 agenda.
Still, national Democrats have repeatedly backed Golden's candidacy, including earlier this year when Dunlap first floated his potential primary challenge. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee responded by describing Golden as a 鈥渟talwart defender of Mainers鈥� values鈥� who is 鈥渦niquely-suited to win tough races.鈥�
In a statement, DCCC chair Suzan DelBene said Golden "embodies Maine鈥檚 independent spirit."
"Last night鈥檚 election results make clear that voters are ready to elect a Democratic majority that keeps its promise to lower costs and fight for everyday people," DelBene said. "Democrats will do everything necessary to keep this seat blue so that Mainers continue to have a voice fighting for them in Congress 鈥� and we are confident we will be successful."
Golden hasn鈥檛 faced a primary since he first ran for the seat in 2018.
The Marine and combat veteran was unapologetically pro-abortion rights when he won the seat in 2019. He supported Medicare for all and knocked off Democrats鈥� nemesis Rep. Bruce Poliquin, defeating an incumbent in the 2nd District for the first time . He was the first congressional candidate to win a ranked-choice election.
鈥淚 believe in our campaign we've gotten back to our Democratic Party's roots,鈥� Golden said during his victory speech.
Golden remains an abortion-rights supporter and he opposed a GOP budget bill that slashes Medicaid, the health program for low-income people. He has backed off his support for Medicare for all, now favoring a health care model that would not ditch private insurance plans.
Golden previously said Dunlap has a small chance of beating him and 鈥渮ero chance of beating Paul LePage,鈥� the former two-time Republican governor who is now running for the 2nd District seat.
In his campaign launch, Dunlap criticized Golden for recently that was designed to keep the federal government open but opposed by Democrats who wanted it to include an extension of subsidies for people who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The bill is also part of a larger fight over the Trump administration's bid to consolidate spending decisions in the executive branch, specifically appropriations bills already approved by Congress. Republicans over the summer backed a recissions package proposed by the White House that clawed back $7.9 billion in funding previously approved with bipartisan support.
Golden voted against the recissions bill.
More recently, Golden was the only Democrat in the House to vote for the GOP funding bill that would fund the federal government through November. He argued that shutting down the government would give Trump more power to cut the federal workforce and impose his agenda.
Maine's congressional delegation has split over the shutdown. Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King and Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins have taken similar positions as Golden, while U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine's 1st District has sided with the majority of the Democratic House caucus.
