Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
The Democratic primary field in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District race may once again grow amid the fallout over U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s surprising move to not seek reelection in 2026.
The person who looks closest to making a decision is Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis, whom numerous people had approached about running after Golden announced earlier in November he would not seek a fifth term representing the rural district that he held onto while it otherwise backed President Donald Trump in each election since 2016.
Other figures have left open the possibility of jumping into the primary race that currently includes State Auditor Matt Dunlap and former Capitol Hill operative Jordan Wood, who left his U.S. Senate race and switched to the 2nd District race after Golden opted against seeking reelection.
Golden, a 43-year-old Marine veteran from Lewiston who has bucked his fellow Democrats on numerous issues, cited increasing political incivility and threats against his family in opting not to run next year. That leaves former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, as the favorite to flip the seat.
The national campaign arm for House Democrats was quick to say it was “actively recruiting” a candidate after Golden’s announcement, indicating a lack of confidence in Dunlap or Wood, while LePage and Republicans are confident he will win.
Francis, 56, who has led the Penobscot Nation since 2006 and has been president of a group that represents 33 federally recognized tribes stretching from the Northeast to the Gulf of Mexico, was considering in the spring a bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, before his May arrest for allegedly driving drunk in Bangor.
Numerous people reached out to him after Golden’s announcement this month to encourage him to run for the 2nd District seat. Francis is now “close to finalizing his decision with friends, family and supporters,” a source familiar with the chief’s plans said Wednesday.
“The assault on rural Maine’s communities deeply concerns him,” the person said. “From hospitals closing, to skyrocketing health insurance to jobs disappearing, Kirk understands what has been lost in rural Maine and what he’ll fight for if he is provided the responsibility of representing rural Mainers.”
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash has continued his campaign for governor after releasing a noncommittal statement earlier in November amid his allies floating the idea of him switching races. He told WMTW that he remains committed to that race.
One of the allies talking with and encouraging Jackson, 57, to run is Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, who himself is considering a 2nd District bid if Jackson remains in next year’s race to succeed Gov. Janet Mills. A source close to Baldacci, 60, said if Jackson opts against switching races, then Baldacci will consider the 2nd District race because he feels he would have the best chances of beating LePage next year.
LePage, the 77-year-old former governor, led Golden in two polls of the district the University of New Hampshire conducted this year. The former governor’s team has noted that often and downplayed the electoral threat of any Democrat in the district.
Golden wrote in a Bangor Daily News OpEd on his reelection decision that he was confident he would have beaten LePage but added that “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.”