Politics
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Retiring U.S. Rep. Jared Golden endorsed vulnerable Republican colleague Mike Lawler of New York for reelection in an opinion piece published Monday in The Journal News, marking a rare cross-party endorsement in a hotly contested race.
Golden, a Democrat who is not seeking a fifth term representing Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, pointed to his work with Lawler on the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, a bill extending a pause on federal whale-protection rules that Maine’s lobster industry has fought for years. The House passed the measure this month with bipartisan support.
“He got no votes in this and no headlines back home,” Golden wrote of Lawler, who represents part of the Hudson Valley. “He signed on because a historic American industry, thousands of fishing families, and the principle that federal rules should be built on facts were all on the line.”
Golden also credited Lawler with helping restore collective bargaining rights for federal employees and extending Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. He noted Lawler’s ranking as the fourth-most bipartisan member of the chamber.
Lawler faces Democratic Cait Conley in a toss-up race, according to the Cook Political Report. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district in the 2024 presidential election. Kalshi bettors gave Conley a 61% chance of winning as of Sunday.
A spokesperson for House Democrats’ campaign arm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The endorsement follows two other breaks Golden has made with Democratic leaders this month, crossing party lines on procedural votes ahead of passing the lobster bill and a Russian sanctions package.