Rep. Jared Golden Won’t Run for Reelection, Citing Concern About Political Violence

Rep. Jared Golden holds the distinction of holding the reddest seat held by any Democrat in congress. Today he announced he won’t be running for re-election next year, citing the nastiness of politics and concerns about rising political violence.

Representative Jared Golden of Maine, who holds the most Republican-leaning seat of any Democrat in the House, announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election in 2026.

Mr. Golden, 43, had won re-election in his Maine district for three straight cycles after his 2018 victory, and is a leader of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition in the House.

But Mr. Golden, who has bucked his party on key issues including the government shutdown, faced not only a serious primary challenger next year but also a potential general-election race against former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican.

He made the announcement in the form of an opinion piece for the Bangor Daily News. Here’s a bit of what he said.

After much deliberation, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026…

…after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves. My team and I have strived to stay above the fray and, for that, we can hold our heads high with appreciation for each other and the way we have gone about our work.

Additionally, recent incidents of political violence have made me reassess the frequent threats against me and my family. Last year we saw attempts against Donald Trump’s life, and more recently we witnessed the firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home, the assasination of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota and the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk. 

These have made me reconsider the experiences of my own family, including all of us sitting in a hotel room on Thanksgiving last year after yet another threat against our home. There have been enough of those over the years to demand my attention.

The threat against his home was reported at the time.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden received a bomb threat against his home on Thanksgiving…

Golden told The Washington Times that he received an email message signed “MAGA,” but authorities don’t know who sent it. He speculated that it could have come from a foreign IP address.

“For starters, both sides could stop,” Golden told The Times.

Golden said he had no doubt he could win reelection but as the time to campaign approached he decided he was more worried about winning than he was about losing. Of course he has plenty of criticism for Republicans who he describes as being hijacked by the Tea Party and then by MAGA but he doesn’t spare his own party either.

We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds barred, obstructionary tactics…

All of this is a symptom of the larger challenge of our political culture, where social media algorithms fuel division and turn it into corporate profits; public figures weaponize our disagreements and vilify their fellow Americans; and gerrymandered districts leave most politicians more beholden to their out-of-touch base than to the average family.

I think he has a point about rising political violence. A disturbing number of young Americans seem increasingly okay with it and that could be a very bad trend if it continues. I also think he’s right that Democrats are adopting more extreme tactics (and candidates) though that extremism doesn’t seem to bother the party’s base. On the contrary it seems to be sending them to the polls in droves. Zohran Mamdani and Jay Jones both won last night. And in Maine, Graham Platner seems fine despite the Nazi tattoo and all the rest.

In any case, this remains a zero-sum game and the NRCC didn’t waste any time crowing about it.

The National Republican Congressional Committee seized on the news of Golden’s exit.

“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. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,” NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a statement.

Golden’s departure clears the way for former Gov. Paul LePage who has a real opportunity to pick up this seat for Republicans. That’s obviously good news for the GOP’s chances of holding the House in the midterms. Given the passage of Prop 50 in California, the GOP is going to need every seat it can get.

Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.

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