{"id":34,"date":"2026-05-26T10:40:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=34"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:40:56","slug":"can-a-candidate-to-the-left-of-jared-golden-win-in-maines-2nd-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=34","title":{"rendered":"Can a Candidate to the Left of Jared Golden Win in Maine\u2019s 2nd District?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, has developed a reputation for voting against the Democratic Party in major moments \u2014 he was the only Democrat last month to vote against curbing President Donald Trump\u2019s war powers, for example, and broke ranks with his party on pandemic relief and whether to sustain a government shutdown last year.<\/p>\n

Read more Progressive Group Boosts Abdul El-Sayed in Contentious Michigan Senate Race<\/a><\/p>\n

Golden, who is retiring<\/u><\/span>, said in a letter<\/u><\/span> announcing his decision to step aside that these kinds of votes are key to winning and representing his Trump-loving district.<\/p>\n

But there are at least four people who disagree with Golden\u2019s assessment of the electorate \u2014 and they\u2019re running in the Democratic primary to replace him.<\/p>\n

Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap initially launched a primary challenge against Golden. But he now faces former congressional aide Jordan Wood, state Sen. Joe Baldacci and social worker Paige Loud in a crowded race to succeed the moderate Democrat who flipped the seat in 2018. All are running to the left of Golden.<\/p>\n

Maine\u2019s 2nd District is<\/i> more conservative than the average<\/u><\/span> Democratic-held seat. Golden won his last election by less than a percentage point<\/u><\/span> in 2024, and the district has voted for Trump each time he has run.<\/p>\n

But voters have notably soured on several of Trump\u2019s policies, including a costly war with Iran that has sent fuel prices skyrocketing. The district is the second-most rural in the country, and is grappling with issues that the Trump administration has seemingly exacerbated. Medicare cuts that were passed in last year\u2019s reconciliation bill remain a problem in this district, putting rural health care providers at risk of closure.<\/p>\n

Amy Fried, a professor emerita of political science at the University of Maine, told NOTUS that if these results are attributed to the Republican Party, then former Maine Gov. Paul LePage \u2014 who is running for his party\u2019s nomination unopposed \u2014 will have a much more difficult path to victory come November.This cycle is actually quite similar to the 2018 election that saw Golden flip the seat \u2014 at a time when he was much more progressive than he is now, Fried said.<\/p>\n

That \u201cwas just a really bad election for Trump and Republicans,\u201d Fried said. \u201cThere was a big pushback in the midterm to Trump and Bruce Poliquin, the incumbent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Melcher, professor of political science at the University of Maine at Farmington, said that in this Democratic primary, voters are looking for someone who will stand up to Trump \u2014 more than Golden has.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly Jared Golden could be very critical of Donald Trump on some issues, but I think most Maine Democrats don\u2019t want that Jared Golden style of approach, and I think this is a year where people are ready for change, are ready for somebody who may seem to be less Washington establishment,\u201d Melcher said.<\/p>\n

He said all four candidates are running campaigns to the left of Golden, with Loud being the most progressive of the bunch. As a social worker, she\u2019s focused her campaign message on expanding health care access, as well as housing and affordability issues. Baldacci calls himself a moderate, and has emphasized his voting record in support of abortion rights. Dunlap and Wood fall somewhere in the middle, and both described their campaigns as \u201cauthentic\u201d to themselves.<\/p>\n

Read more Democrats Have an Age Problem. Some Republicans Admit They Do, Too.<\/a><\/p>\n

Dunlap has garnered a few progressive endorsements, including from Our Revolution<\/u><\/span> and California Rep. Ro Khanna<\/u><\/span>. His campaign has also focused on universal health care and addressing affordability issues in the district.<\/p>\n

Because of Wood\u2019s focus on gun safety and gun violence prevention, he has earned an endorsement from Brady PAC, a political action committee aimed at reducing gun violence.<\/p>\n

Golden, meanwhile, said he doesn\u2019t plan to put his thumb on the primary\u2019s scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have much to say about that,\u201d he said when asked about the candidates. \u201cI think what I would tell you is that the people in Maine are smart enough to figure it out for themselves, and I\u2019m not getting involved in other people\u2019s races.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA quick study of the district tells you everything you need to know about the voting trend over the last decade or more,\u201d Golden added.<\/p>\n

There has been a dearth of reliable polling on where the race stands. A survey<\/u><\/span> conducted this month by the Pan Atlantic Research Survey asked about only three of the four candidates, which the firm attributed to an editorial error.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Baldacci is showing strength,\u201d Fried said. \u201cBut I think Dunlap has a little broader portfolio and a little broader ability to appeal to people through the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baldacci won the backing<\/u><\/span> of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which drew criticism from other candidates for what they called the DCCC\u2019s interference in the primary. The endorsement and several others, which are not necessarily atypical, have roiled the party<\/u><\/span> this cycle as Democrats struggle with questions about the party\u2019s future direction.<\/p>\n

Baldacci and Dunlap, seen as the race\u2019s front-runners, have been the target of the National Republican Campaign Committee, which called both candidates \u201cout of touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRadical Democrat Matt Dunlap has sold his soul to the far left,\u201d NRCC spokesperson Maureen O\u2019Toole said in a statement. \u201cBaldacci\u2019s candidacy is dead on arrival,\u201d she said in another.<\/p>\n

Both candidates said they are letting the comments roll off their back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take that criticism with a grain of salt,\u201d Baldacci said.<\/p>\n

Dunlap said, \u201cIf I was Republican, they\u2019d say I\u2019d be an ideal fit for the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Sherrill Blocked From ICE Facility as Detainees Enter Day 4 of Hunger Strike<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This cycle looks a lot like the 2018 election that sent Golden to Washington for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maine"],"yoast_head":"\nCan a Candidate to the Left of Jared Golden Win in Maine\u2019s 2nd District? - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=34\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can a Candidate to the Left of Jared Golden Win in Maine\u2019s 2nd District? - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This cycle looks a lot like the 2018 election that sent Golden to Washington for the first time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=34\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-26T10:40:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"headline\":\"Can a Candidate to the Left of Jared Golden Win in Maine\u2019s 2nd District?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T10:40:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34\"},\"wordCount\":973,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ed9cf2122a0da90c8970417e8f055727-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Maine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34\",\"name\":\"Can a Candidate to the Left of Jared Golden Win in Maine\u2019s 2nd District? - Modern Home Journals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ed9cf2122a0da90c8970417e8f055727-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-26T10:40:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=34#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ed9cf2122a0da90c8970417e8f055727-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ed9cf2122a0da90c8970417e8f055727-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Rep. 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