A Maine Democrat is taking up one in every of his personal.
On Monday, Maine State Auditor Matthew Dunlap introduced he’s difficult Rep. Jared Golden in subsequent 12 months’s Democratic major—a uncommon transfer that checks simply how a lot urge for food the celebration has for a tougher edge inside one of many nation’s best Home districts.
Golden, in his fourth time period of representing Maine’s rural 2nd District, was the lone Home Democrat to again the Republican-led funding package deal forward of the GOP’s authorities shutdown. In an interview with The Washington Put up, Dunlap stated that the vote was the ultimate straw, accusing Golden of siding with Republicans too usually and promising to “take a harder line” towards President Donald Trump.
“What people really want is someone who’s going to fight for them for the things they care about,” Dunlap advised the Put up, pointing to well being care and the price of residing.
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, proven in 2022.
His bid units up a high-profile, high-risk showdown in a Trump-friendly district that Democrats should maintain to have any hope of flipping the Home. Golden eked out reelection in 2024 by fewer than 3,000 votes, whilst Trump carried the district by over 9 share factors.
The race additionally captures a deeper rigidity throughout the Democratic Get together because it rebuilds after 2024—how aggressively to confront Trump, and the way a lot room to offer moderates like Golden who’ve strayed from the celebration line in robust districts.
Golden’s model has lengthy been that of an independent-minded Democrat. He’s damaged with the celebration on main votes—from pandemic reduction to social spending—and has overtly criticized what he calls “far-left” theatrics in Washington. Defending his vote for the GOP funding invoice, Golden stated the shutdown is “the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.”
However Dunlap says that independence has gone too far. Talking with CNN, Dunlap pointed to Golden’s vote for the Republican-backed SAVE Act, which might require proof of citizenship to vote, calling it “just inexplicable to me.”
“I feel like we have one of the best election systems in the country,” Dunlap stated. “It wasn’t a tipping point, but it was a weathervane—it told me where people are.”
Golden fired again quick.
“If Matt Dunlap thinks this district will choose him over Paul LePage, he’s got another thing coming,” he advised the Put up. LePage, the previous governor and Trump ally, is the probably GOP nominee.
Dunlap dismissed that assault, telling CNN that Democrats are “very, very disenchanted with Jared” and that Golden overplays how laborious the district is to win.
“It’s not a hostile wilderness,” Dunlap stated. “These are my neighbors and friends. I know them well, and I feel welcome in every community in the state.”
Dunlap’s resume provides him credibility: He’s a fixture in Maine politics, having served within the state Home within the Nineteen Nineties, as secretary of state in two separate stretches, and now as state auditor.
Nonetheless, his problem worries nationwide Democrats. Given the district’s rightward leanings, a bitter major might hand the seat to Republicans. The Put up reviews that the Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee has warned each Dunlap and Maine Democrats that if Golden is just not the nominee, nationwide funding for the race might dry up.
Former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, proven in 2021.
Inside polling underscores these fears: Golden’s marketing campaign discovered him main LePage by a single level in a hypothetical matchup, whereas Dunlap trailed by 10 factors. A Republican tremendous PAC’s personal survey had Golden down 5 factors—an indication of simply how fragile the seat may very well be.
Nonetheless, Dunlap insists he can win in November.
“My whole life’s been in the 2nd District,” he advised the Put up. “There’s not a town here where I don’t feel welcome. And I certainly understand people’s frustration, why they’ve been voting the way they have. I understand why people voted for Donald Trump.”
He’s not new to Trump-world battles, both. Throughout Trump’s first time period, Dunlap served on the president’s short-lived voter-fraud fee and later sued it for withholding paperwork—a case he gained earlier than Trump disbanded the panel completely.
Whereas Dunlap guarantees to battle tougher towards Trump, he’s additionally no recent face. That’s one thing Golden wasted no time seizing on, calling Dunlap “a 30-year party crony.”
Dunlap, nevertheless, countered that have is an asset, not a legal responsibility.
He stated he understands that voters typically need a “new face” however that “experience does matter, and having a reputation matters just as much.”
Republicans, in the meantime, are very happy to observe the 2 Democrats spar. The Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee cheered Dunlap’s entry, saying his marketing campaign reveals Golden “has got to go, and even Democrats know it.”
Republicans could relish the chaos, however even some Democrats who bristle at Golden’s independence admit he’s one of many few who can maintain the seat. In a district that’s backed Trump a number of occasions, survival usually means moderation—and with out Golden, Democrats threat dropping extra than simply one other race.
