Moderate House Democrat Says He Won’t Run for Reelection

Jared Golden has been in office since 2019.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) speaks on stage during the Headstrong Washington DC Gala in Washington on Nov. 3, 2021. Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Headstrong

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) on Nov. 5 said he will not be seeking another term in office.

Golden, 43, said on X that he thinks he would win reelection if he sought another term, “but recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.”

Golden wrote in an op-ed in a Maine newspaper that those events include the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the assassination of Democrat lawmakers in Minnesota.

He also criticized both parties for the continuing government shutdown, which just became the longest in history, and said he wanted to spent more time with family and friends, including his young daughters.

“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” Golden said. “Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son.”

Golden has represented Maine’s Second Congressional District since 2019.

He narrowly won reelection in 2024, receiving 50.3 percent of the vote, or about 2,600 more votes than Republican Austin Theriault out of some 392,000 cast.

Golden has a history of crossing the aisle, including to support a resolution honoring the life of Kirk. He has also voted against bills that would impose stricter regulations on guns, censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and increase penalties for illegal entry into the United States.

The National Republican Congressional Committee reacted to Golden’s announcement by saying Republicans will win the district in the 2026 midterm elections.

“He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,” Maureen O'Toole, a spokeswoman for the committee, said in an email to The Epoch Times.

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, 77, a Republican, is running to represent the district, as is Democratic Maine State Auditor Matthew Dunlap, 60.

The GOP currently controls the House of Representatives. There are 219 Republican members, 213 Democratic members, and three vacancies.

Adelita Grijalva won a special election to fill one of the vacancies, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has declined to swear her in until the government shutdown ends.

Democrats this week won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as other races, including mayoral races in New York City and Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump said the losses stemmed from his name not being on ballots, as well as the prolonged shutdown.