U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s shocking Wednesday decision to quit the 2026 race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District could scramble the pecking order of state politics.
In a Bangor Daily News Op-Ed, the four-term Democrat cited “increasing incivility” in politics as well as instances of political violence that made him reassess threats against him and his family. In that way, it echoed U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s sudden 2012 retirement.
The decision leaves former Gov. Paul LePage, a 77-year-old Republican, as the heavy favorite to succeed Golden in the district carried three times by President Donald Trump. State Auditor Matt Dunlap of Old Town has been challenging the congressman in a Democratic primary and remains the only notable candidate on that side of the race.
When Snowe retired, many Maine politicians leapt into that year’s Senate race before many of them were scattered by the entry of former Gov. Angus King, who has held the seat ever since. But the conservative politics of the 2nd District could keep many Democratic gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates in their races given the state’s liberal lean.
“It’s really up to the Democrats to look around and see if there’s any viable candidates that they can play in the 2nd District,” state Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, a former legislative leader and 2018 gubernatorial candidate, said.
Golden was at home in Lewiston with his family and has no plans to do interviews this week, his campaign said. He has no plans to run for another office in 2026. The congressman considered a run for governor but decided to announce his now-aborted run for reelection in May.
Maine’s status as a Democratic state in most elections has given the party hope that it can win next year’s election to succeed Gov. Janet Mills. She is running against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in a primary that also includes progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner of Sullivan, who has drawn large crowds and attention for incendiary Reddit posts and a past tattoo of a Nazi symbol.
Candidates to watch around the 2nd District include former Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, who ran for the congressional seat in 2014 and is mired in a five-way primary for governor next year. He is supported by organized labor and held a difficult legislative district in the socially conservative St. John Valley region of northern Maine.
Jackson’s campaign did not immediately comment Wednesday after Golden made his announcement. Platner looks poised to stay in the race against Collins, posting a graphic after Golden’s decision saying the senator’s “retirement” will come a year from now.
The website Inside Elections immediately moved the 2nd District from “tilt Democratic” to “likely Republican” after Golden’s exit. That was a nod to the centrist congressman’s impressive wins in a district that is moving away from his party. Last year, he narrowly beat former state Rep. Austin Theriault by peeling away a sliver of Republicans who have been loyal to him.
LePage’s allies reacted with glee to the news, with a spokesperson for national Republicans’ campaign arm confidently predicting that the former governor will capture the seat. Brent Littlefield, LePage’s strategist, noted recent polling showing Golden behind in their race.
Dunlap, who had been looking to capitalize on Democratic disenchantment with Golden’s votes with Republicans on issues from voting to the government shutdown, issued a statement thanking Golden for his military and political service but said he is campaigning to win. One Democrat was skeptical that he could, calling the congressman’s decision “sad” for Maine.
“My first reaction to it is: We’ve lost someone who’s genuinely willing to kind of cross party lines, and it’s not just for show,” Jeremy Fischer, a lawyer who used to represent Presque Isle in the Maine House of Representatives, said of Golden’s exit.
BDN writer Billy Kobin contributed to this report.