AUGUSTA, Maine — Democrat Jordan Wood will leave Maine’s 2026 U.S. Senate race to run for the 2nd Congressional District, becoming the first candidate to switch into that election following U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s sudden exit last week.
Wood, a former political operative from Bristol, gained little traction in a primary field now dominated by Gov. Janet Mills and progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner. His home is in Maine’s 1st District, but he noted that he grew up in the district cities of Lewiston and Gardiner and said he and his husband are searching for a home in the Lewiston area.
Golden’s decision to drop out of the race in a district won three times by President Donald Trump made former Gov. Paul LePage the prohibitive favorite to recapture the seat for Republicans. National Democrats are recruiting candidates for the uphill race, and the Democratic primary is poised to grow in the next few weeks.
“It’s a moment that Maine needs courage, not more chaos,” Wood said in an interview. “I think that what you get with Paul LePage is someone who is going to increase and participate in the political chaos that Donald Trump has helped generate in his second administration.”
State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who had been challenging Golden in a primary, is the only other notable Democrat in the 2nd District race so far. Former Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, is being eyed as someone who could flip from the five-way gubernatorial primary into the race.
Wood, 36, returned to Maine in 2021 after time in Washington, D.C., including as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-California, and as a leader of End Citizens United, a progressive group focused on money in politics. His husband, Jake Lipsett, runs Mothership Strategies, a digital fundraising firm that has drawn attention for aggressive practices.
He staked out progressive positions during his Senate primary run, including support of universal gun background checks that 2nd District voters rejected in 2016, caps on child care payments and a public option for Americans under the Medicare program.
Wood’s Senate campaign raised nearly $3.1 million through September, although it had spent more than $2 million to that date. That money can remain with him in a congressional race.
The candidate said his calculus changed after Golden, whom he called a friend, left the election. But his entry is unlikely to change the direction of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is “actively recruiting” in this race.
“Jordan Wood is about to find out that his out of touch, hyper-liberal agenda stands no chance in this race,” Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for House Republicans’ campaign arm, said. “Republicans will flip this seat red.”
