AUGUSTA, Maine — U.S. Rep. Jared Golden voted alongside fellow Democrats Tuesday in favor of a hardline conservative’s motion to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying the Republican leader “doesn’t have the pulse” of Maine’s 2nd District.
Golden, a centrist from the rural swing district, had been quiet early this week on whether he would defend McCarthy, a California Republican, before releasing a statement ahead of a House vote on a “motion to vacate” that was filed by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, late Monday to oust a speaker for the first time in U.S. history.
The House voted 216-210 to remove McCarthy, with the motion requiring a simple majority to win approval. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who represents Maine’s 1st District, also joined eight Republicans in voting to remove McCarthy, the first speaker ousted in U.S. history.
Golden’s opposition ahead of the vote was an ominous sign for McCarthy. The Maine congressman is toward the ideological middle of the chamber and had met with the speaker ahead of the bipartisan deal inked over the weekend to avoid a federal government shutdown.
“Absent any significantly meaningful benefit for Maine’s [2nd] District, I see no reason to vote for him,” Golden said in a statement.
Critics of Gaetz’s motion said it would create chaos in the chamber, paralyzing business until House Republicans can unify their 221-212 majority to agree on a speaker. McCarthy had called for the vote on the motion Tuesday.
Golden cited McCarthy’s votes against a six-year regulatory freeze on right whale regulations affecting Maine fishermen, the bipartisan infrastructure law, a semiconductor bill and a measure to cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for older Americans as reasons why he would not bail the speaker out.
He called McCarthy’s move to ink a bipartisan deal to avert government shutdown “the right thing to do,” but he added that “it was also just what Congress was supposed to do.” Golden said he has so far delivered on his promise to call for “new leadership” while running for Congress by voting against then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California.
Gaetz cited several grievances in explaining his effort to remove McCarthy as speaker, including frustration over McCarthy’s reliance on Democratic votes to reach a deal to narrowly avoid a shutdown over the weekend. The government funding package runs through Nov. 17.
But Gaetz had to similarly rely on Democrats to oust McCarthy. McCarthy welcomed the fight while accusing Gaetz of holding a grudge over McCarthy’s refusal to quash a congressional ethics complaint against Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use that emerged in 2021. That year, the Department of Justice investigated Gaetz over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him.
Aside from his ideology, Golden’s vote had political undertones. The 2nd District is one of the most competitive areas on the 2024 House map. McCarthy and the House Republican campaign arm are supporting first-term state Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent in a three-way Republican primary for the district. Losing McCarthy could be bad for the party’s fundraising and campaign efforts.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday she supports McCarthy while adding “Matt Gaetz is not my idea of a good, responsible congressman, and he is creating a lot of bad chaos.”
