
Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden has refused to announce support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, according to statements made on Thursday and Friday.
Golden said on Thursday that he would not be endorsing the vice president or any candidate for president, doubling down on Friday when he refused to answer a reporterās questions regarding who he will cast a vote for in the upcoming presidential election, according to an X post by the congressman. Golden represents Maineās red-leaning second district, a position he will have to defend against Republican opponent Austin Theriault in November, according to the Bangor Daily News.
āWho I vote for is no oneās business but my own. I want the people of Maineās Second District to understand this: I donāt care if you plan to vote for Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or none of the above. I intend to seek your support to be your representative based upon the merits of the work I have done for all of our communities the past five and a half years,ā Golden said on X.
Theriault criticized Golden for his lack of transparency with voters in an X post on Friday, calling his statement ādisingenuousā and ācondescending.ā
Golden ended his statement by referring to the GOP as a ācultā and encouraging voters that disagreed with his decision not to reveal his voting preference to support his opponent.
āIf Mainers want a candidate whose entire campaign is about fealty to one partyās entire platform and its national leaders, Austin Theriault is right there for them,ā Golden wrote.
Maineās second district voted for former president Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020 but is currently leaning Democratic, according to an estimate from The Hill. Democrats currently lead Republicans by a slim margin of half a point in generic House polls, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Golden and Theriault did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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