Vulnerable Democrat Calling it Quits After Trailing in the Polls in Maine [WATCH]

Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a six-year tenure in Congress after facing a primary challenge from within his party and falling behind in recent polling against a Republican opponent.

🚨 JUST IN: HUGE development as Rep. JARED GOLDEN (D-Maine 2nd) is NOT seeking reelection.

Republican FLIP opportunity! He BARELY won last time. pic.twitter.com/52jpsFCx23

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 5, 2025

Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House.

The district was carried by President Donald Trump by nine percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, and recent surveys showed Golden struggling to maintain support among voters.

In an op-ed published in the Bangor Daily News, Golden cited growing political hostility and ongoing dysfunction in Congress as factors in his decision to step away from public office.

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“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” Golden wrote.

“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 added, “I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community.”

After much deliberation, I’ve decided not to seek reelection in 2026.

I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win. But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.

I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished…

— Jared Golden for Congress (@golden4congress) November 5, 2025

An October survey from Pine Tree State Poll found that Golden trailed former Republican Maine Governor Paul LePage 49 percent to 44 percent among likely voters.

Only about 25 percent of respondents said he should be reelected, and just over half of Democrats — 51 percent — supported another term.

Golden first won his seat in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin.

Since then, he has often positioned himself as a centrist Democrat, occasionally breaking with his party on key votes.

He was the only Democrat in the House to side with Republicans on two occasions this year to fund the government during budget standoffs in March and September.

Golden also voted in favor of a Republican-led bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote — legislation that was widely opposed by Democratic leadership.

The Maine congressman faced a primary challenge from State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who criticized him for working too closely with Republicans and for what he described as a lack of commitment to Democratic priorities.

Golden’s announcement also came amid what he described as “a disturbing rise in political violence,” citing several recent incidents across the country.

“The attempts on Trump’s life, the firebombing of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home, the assassination of Democratic Minnesota lawmakers and the murder of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk made me reassess the frequent threats against me and my family,” he said.

Golden pointed to those incidents as part of a broader reflection on the state of politics and said that the ongoing government shutdown — now the longest in U.S. history — highlighted how broken Congress has become.

“This unnecessary, harmful shutdown and the nonstop, hyperbolic accusations and recriminations by both sides reveal just how broken Congress has become,” he wrote.

Earlier this fall, Golden made headlines on the first day of the shutdown when he publicly criticized members of his own party, accusing Democrats of voting to close the government “to curry favor with far-left groups” and “put on a show of their opposition to President [Donald] Trump.”

In his retirement statement, Golden said Democrats are “allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots,” adding that “too many Democrats have given in to demands that we use the same no-holds barred, obstructionary tactics as the GOP.”

Golden described both his primary challenger Dunlap and his Republican opponent LePage as “a far cry from being standard bearers of the generations that will inherit the legacy of today’s Congress.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) quickly responded to the announcement, calling Golden’s retirement an opening for a Republican win.

“Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost,” NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement.

“He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026.”

Golden’s departure sets up an open race heading into the next election cycle.