In his first public event since announcing his switch from running for U.S. Senate to the House of Representatives, Democratic candidate Jordan Wood said his supporters will follow him.
“No one said that they’re so upset I’m leaving the Senate race that they will not support me in the House race, but, you know, we’ll see how the primary develops. But the response has been really positive,” Wood said before the event.
Wood, a 36-year-old who previously worked on Capital Hill, is the first candidate to leave Maine’s 2026 U.S. Senate race to run for the 2nd Congressional District following Democrat U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s sudden exit last week. He was previously running against Gov. Janet Mills and progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner in a crowded Democratic primary field running to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Wood’s Thursday event in Bangor was planned before he made the switch, meaning he didn’t know how many people signed up before or after he announced it, but he said he expected more interest in his campaign now that he is in a different race.
“I think that there definitely could be some folks that had made up their mind on the Senate primary, and then some that are now interested in me because it’s a [2nd Congressional District] race,” Wood said.
Roughly 45 people came to Wood’s event at the Bangor Public Library where he answered questions about his decision to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and drop out of the Senate race and how he would represent a district he doesn’t currently live in.
Wood currently lives about 20 miles from the border of Maine’s 1st and 2nd Congressional districts. He sees Maine’s 1st district as one centered around Greater Portland and said his upbringing in Lewiston and Gardiner coupled with where he lives now allows him to better understand the issues his potential constituents face.
“I know the people, the issues, and they’re a lot of the same issues that voters are concerned about in the Senate race, too,” Wood said.
Wood said he and his husband are looking at homes to move to in the Lewiston area this weekend.
Multiple audience members said they were not worried about Wood living out of the district and said they cared more about who he was and his policies, especially because they didn’t see him speak during his now-defunct Senate campaign.
Tyson Martin, 44, came to the event to learn what Wood’s platform is and said he didn’t follow his Senate campaign or knew who he would vote for in the House or Senate races yet.
Judy Kuhns-Hastings, 80, and Rori Knott, 55, said they did not follow Wood’s Senate campaign but were interested in hearing more about his platform because he made a stop in Bangor.
“I want to hear what he’s got to say. I’ve known his name that he’s out here, and I’m really curious to see who he is and what he’s about,” Kuhns-Hastings said.
Wood is one of multiple people they want to hear from as they search for someone to vote for instead of former Gov. Paul LePage, Kuhns-Hastings and Knott said.
All three attendees said they weren’t concerned about Wood not currently living in the district he’s running to represent.
“Lincoln County isn’t that far away. If he lived in Portugal that might be different,” Martin said.
