Politics
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The matchup between U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and state Rep. Austin Theriault is key to determining control of the House, but both candidates are taking low-key approaches to the final days of the race.
That is not a huge surprise for an election in rural Maine. Yet it is still a contrast with the blaring and sometimes misleading ads paid for in large part by $25 million in outside spending in the race between the Democratic incumbent and the Republican challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
While a poll released Friday showed Golden ahead of Theriault in the 2nd District that Trump is expected to carry for the third straight election, surveys from earlier in the fall gave Theriault the edge as both men seek to win over a small share of swing voters. The result could be Golden’s toughest race since he ousted a Republican incumbent in 2018.
Both Golden and Theriault have avoided the media spotlight in recent days by instead meeting with voters in quieter settings. Golden’s campaign said he was potentially having an event earlier in the week in Augusta but then said only a photographer would be welcomed to show up to take pictures instead of a reporter to ask questions.
On Saturday, Golden will attend the Maine Lobstermen’s Association 70th anniversary celebration in South Thomaston to talk about his work to “oppose unnecessary and burdensome” regulations, and he’ll “have a few beers with supporters” while watching the New England Patriots game Sunday, campaign spokesperson Mario Moretto said.
Golden will visit several field offices to launch canvasses and thank volunteers Monday. He is not expected to have a public election night gathering, just as in 2022 when he watched results come in with family, friends and staff at his parents’ home in Leeds.
Theriault has shared photos on X, formerly known as Twitter, of him visiting businesses and voters as part of what he called a “People Over Politics” tour of the district, but he stopped giving media outlets a heads up about where he would be after doing so earlier this year. Theriault’s campaign did not make him available to talk to a New York Times reporter for an October story on the race.
His campaign otherwise used a “Dirty Tricks Update” to bash the Bangor Daily News on Friday for partnering with the electoral reform group FairVote to commission a SurveyUSA poll that showed Golden leading Theriault and Trump leading Harris in the 2nd District.
Theriault campaign spokesperson Preya Samsundar said he is in Bangor on Saturday for various events and business visits. Ahead of next week, the campaigns and allies have continued to try to tie their opponent to national parties, which has limits for different reasons.
Golden and Democratic groups have portrayed Theriault as beholden to national Republicans who have floated controversial Social Security changes, but the challenger has the benefit of not yet having a record in Congress and said he would oppose major cost-cutting changes like raising the retirement age.
They have also hammered Theriault on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Republican hailed that decision and voted against several Democratic-backed abortion rights bills in the Legislature, though he said in 2022 he supported keeping liberal abortion laws in place and says he would not support a national ban.
Meanwhile, Theriault and Republicans accuse Golden of “flip-flopping” on the 2nd Amendment by supporting an assault-style weapons ban after last year’s mass shooting in Lewiston. They have also claimed he votes with Democrats nearly all the time, but he voted against President Joe Biden more than any other House Democrat in 2023.
Final ads from national groups make a variety of claims that mislead or lack context. A closing ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, says Golden “voted to give illegals welfare.”
It cites 2016 and 2017 votes in the Legislature, including votes against a defeated Republican proposal that sought to end Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits to legally admitted noncitizens and against another measure then-Gov. Paul LePage signed to mimic a federal ban on welfare recipients using benefits to buy alcohol, tobacco and other items.
The pro-Democrat House Majority PAC, meanwhile, has put out several ads on the radio and TV in recent weeks that repeat a “No Show Theriault” line in criticizing the Republican.
A radio ad reiterated the argument that Theriault missed votes in the Maine House of Representatives but leaves out the fact his 45 absences during his only term roughly equaled the 46 votes Golden missed during his last term in the Maine House from 2016 to 2018.
