Second District Congressman Jared Golden said he has unanswered questions about President Biden’s ability to continue to lead the country for another four years.
But unlike some other Democrats, Golden isn’t calling on Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential campaign.
Golden said Wednesday that he did not attend Tuesday’s closed-door meeting with fellow House Democrats to discuss Biden’s struggling reelection campaign because he believes only the president can decide whether to stay in the race. During that meeting, House leaders reportedly urged their colleagues to stick with Biden while a small number of others continued to raise concerns roughly two weeks after Biden’s shaky debate performance.
“I’m confused why people think that it’s up to the legislature or the Congress or to the House Democratic caucus to decide what Joe Biden is or not going to do in the coming weeks or months,” Golden told Maine Public. “People can stand around and talk about their feelings one way or the other. But I think it has very little bearing on the final analysis or outcome here.”
Golden made headlines last week when he published an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News predicting that Republican Donald Trump would win in November and that he was “OK with that.”
Golden accused the Biden campaign and other Democrats of spending too much time trying to scare voters about a 2nd Trump presidency and not enough time focused on the economy and issues voters care about. He also said that he does not believe one person can destroy or significantly harm the country’s democratic institutions during a 4-year term and said Congress, not the White House, typically sets the policy agenda.
Golden reiterated Wednesday that he won’t vote for Trump. But he said Biden needs to prove that he can continue to serve.
“I’m asking the same questions that I know millions and millions of Americans are asking themselves, which is what is the physical and mental state of health of the President of the United States,” Golden said. “I will not vote for someone if I don’t think they are physically or mentally equipped to lead this nation. And I do not know the answer to that question at this time.”
Golden is a moderate, three-term incumbent in a district that went for Trump in 2016 and 2020. His Republican opponent this November, former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault, has criticized him for not saying whether he backs Biden’s reelection.
Representatives for Maine’s other House member, Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree of the 1st District, have not responded to requests for comment on the ongoing debate over Biden’s campaign or Tuesday’s House Democratic caucus meeting.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
