Top GOP Target Won’t Run For Reelection After Facing Leftist Challenger

Democrat Rep. Jared Golden of Maine announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection after facing a primary challenge from the left and lagging in recent polls against his Republican opponent.

Golden was considered one of the most vulnerable House Democrats, representing a district President Donald Trump won by nine percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Citing recent political violence and the ongoing government shutdown, Golden said he had “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community.”

“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” Golden wrote in the Bangor Daily News, announcing his decision. “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.”

“If I were to continue my campaign, I would prevail,” Golden wrote. But an October survey from Pine Tree State Poll showed Golden trailing former Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage, 49% to 44% among likely voters. Only about a quarter of respondents — and just 51% of Democrats — said said should be reelected to serve another two-year term.

Golden, who has held the seat since 2019, faced a primary challenge from Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who