AUGUSTA, Maine — U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, who faces a hotly contested reelection battle in November, declined to join Democratic superdelegates in a virtual vote Monday that will make Vice President Kamala Harris the party’s presidential nominee.
Golden also will not attend the Democratic National Convention set for later this month in Chicago, spokesperson Mario Moretto said Monday. As a sitting member of Congress, the representative from Maine’s 2nd District can automatically sit among the nearly 750 superdelegates at the convention.
Superdelegates are elected officials and party leaders who are free to support the candidate they wish, but they will not play a major role at this year’s convention after Harris quickly secured delegates needed to clinch the nomination after President Joe Biden left the race against former President Donald Trump last month.
Harris, who would become the first woman to serve as the country’s president if she defeats Trump on Nov. 5, was set to officially become the party’s presidential nominee Monday night following the end of a five-day round of online balloting. She is expected to announce her vice presidential pick Tuesday.
Superdelegates’ influence was curtailed in recent years after becoming a source of controversy in the 2016 election, when they gave former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton an early advantage in the primary over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, whose supporters argued voters instead of party insiders should pick the presidential nominee.
The Democratic Party responded in 2018 by banning superdelegates from voting in the first round of a contested convention, but Harris was not challenged following Biden’s announcement. Golden said he abstained from Monday’s virtual vote by superdelegates because he felt it violated the spirit of that past rule change.
”I have chosen to stay out of it, and let the delegates elected at the state convention decide,” he said in a statement.
While Golden said he will not vote for Trump, he has not yet committed to voting for Harris, saying he first wanted to learn more about her plans for the economy, immigration and other issues. Moretto had no update to share Monday on Golden’s decision.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, Golden’s more liberal colleague who represents Maine’s 1st District, “proudly cast her vote” for Harris during the virtual roll call, spokesperson Gabrielle Mannino said Monday.
Golden, a Marine veteran, has irked more progressive members of his party by voting against Biden policies more than any other House Democrat in 2023, and he wrote in a Bangor Daily News op-ed last month that Trump would beat Biden and he would be “OK with that.”
His spokesperson also shared last month that Golden has not attended a House Democratic caucus meeting since October 2021. The DNC features nearly 4,000 pledged delegates who typically support the candidate who won the primary in their respective states. Maine has 24 pledged delegates and eight superdelegates, state party officials confirmed.
Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Annina Breen did not immediately comment Monday on Golden’s decision after sharing a delegate selection plan with a reporter.
In November, Golden is up for reelection against Republican Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver from Fort Kent who has served one term in the Maine House of Representatives. Theriault has touted an endorsement from Trump and is welcoming House Speaker Mike Johnson to Auburn on Wednesday to open a campaign office.
“Jared Golden is not a leader, which is why he won’t be honest with Mainers about who he’s voting for,” Theriault campaign manager Shawn Roderick said in a statement Monday.
The Cook Political Report has rated Golden’s race against Theriault a “toss up” alongside 10 other seats currently held by House Democrats and 11 seats held by House Republicans. Still, Decision Desk HQ, the Bangor Daily News’ national election results partner, currently gives Golden a 67 percent chance of holding onto his seat.
