U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District clinched a fourth term over state Rep. Austin Theriault in a tight Tuesday election that is one of the closest in Maine history and is almost certainly headed to a recount.
Golden, a Marine veteran who first won election to Congress in 2018, had 50.4 percent of votes to 49.6 percent for Theriault, a former NASCAR driver endorsed by former President Donald Trump, when the Bangor Daily News and its national partner, Decision Desk HQ, called the race at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday.
The result was only settled after military and overseas ballots — the last ones to be counted — came in heavily in favor of Golden. It served as another reminder of his durability as one of the few Democrats representing districts that former President Donald Trump has won. Golden held his seat despite Trump winning the district by 9 points en route to recapturing the White House.
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To do it, Golden had to convince a sliver of Republicans to keep his seat. Tuesday’s result showed that he succeeded in doing so. He planned to address the media at 3 p.m. Wednesday in his home city of Lewiston.
It was the toughest reelection fight yet for Golden, 42, who frustrated voters on both the right and left during the campaign by saying he would not vote for Trump but was “OK” with the Republican winning while refusing to say if he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Theriault’s campaign issued a statement after the race was called on Wednesday that noted the race falls well within the 1.5-percentage-point difference that triggers a state-funded recount. There are no automatic recounts in Maine, so the campaign is likely to request one.
“This race still remains too close to call,” Theriault’s campaign said.
Theriault, 30, who was backed by national Republicans, criticized Golden over his decision last October to no longer oppose an assault-style weapons ban following a mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston. Theriault and Republican allies also claimed Golden was in lockstep with Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration on issues such as border security.
In reality, Golden voted against Biden’s policies more than any other House Democrat in 2023 and mentioned his work with the Trump administration in ads that touched on his advocacy for veterans or efforts to fight regulations opposed by Maine’s lobstermen.
The 2nd District contest was one of the biggest congressional races in the country, with outside groups spending around $25 million to try to influence voters as polling ahead of Tuesday indicated the contest was tight. Golden’s victory gives Democrats hope as they sought to chip away at the GOP’s slim House majority that stood at 220-212 ahead of Tuesday.
Trump won the 2nd District on Tuesday for the third straight election while also beating Harris nationally to return to the White House.
