Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat in Maine, has passed a potential bid for the governor or the Senate, but will instead seek reelection in the main swing congressional district that Republicans are working to flip in the 2026 midterm elections.
"I have decided that the best way to continue serving the people of Maine is to restore the balance of Congress by helping win the House of Representatives. My focus will continue to be on examining extremes and putting working-class families first," Gold said in a social media post Tuesday morning.
Golden, a U.S. Navy veteran who deployed in the wars between Afghanistan and Iraq, was a moderate Democrat who often succumbed to his party in Congress.
He has been in the second congressional district seat of Maine's second congressional district since winning the game for the first time in 2018.
This longtime Trump ally and former Republican governor aims to flip the main swing congressional seats controlled by Democrats
D-Maine's Rep. Jared Golden met at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, announcing that he will seek re-election in 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Golden won reelection last year on the razor edge in the area, the largest countryside in the United States and the Mississippi River. President Donald Trump carried the region with 9, 7 and 10 points in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.
"While the election is still 18 months away, I'm still focused on my responsibility to voters and family, but I also know the Republican majority path is running through Maine," the 42-year-old said.
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With Republicans aiming to defend their thin house majority in the mid-term, the Golden area is in their crosshairs.
"We look forward to Jared Golden, a Democrat who runs for governor," said Maureen O'Toole, a spokesman for the National Republican Congress Committee.
But the top Democrat of the House leader retorted: “Jared stands for the dedication of all voters—regardless of their party’s affiliation—making him uniquely suited to win one of the hardest seats in the country again.”
“He also helped Democrats flip seats in Republican seats in competitive areas across the United States,” he said. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Suzan Delbene (WA-01) added in a joint statement.
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Challenge was formerly Republican Governor Paul Lepage, a major supporter and ally of Trump.
"What I'm going to do is to make sure there are no people like Paul Lepach entering Congress," Golden said in the announcement.
Former Republican Gov. Paul Lepage, who ran for the House in Maine's Second Congressional District in 2026, digitalized with Fox News Digital in his first interview after announcing his campaign. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)
"I never had a desire to go to Washington until now," Lepage told Fox News Digital in his first interview after announcing his candidacy earlier this month.
"I think Donald Trump is working on the debt this country is facing. I think that's a big deal for me," Lepage said.
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LePage - The politician who won the struggle for economic hardships, which helped Republican businessmen win elections and reelection in the Blue Country, which was then the Blue Country - when the president first ran for the White House for the first time, the Republicans were elected one of the earliest Republican-elected officials.
"I have a friend in the White House now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know a few of his secretaries very well. So I think it's a good time. It's a good time for me to help," Lepage told Fox News.