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2d ago

Matt Dunlap Launches Primary Bid Against Rep. Jared Golden in Maine’s Trump-Leaning 2nd District

National Democrats warn replacing Golden could cost resources, jeopardizing a must-hold House seat.

FILE - Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, speaks at a news conference, Nov. 1, 2022, at the State House, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Image
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) poses for a portrait in his office in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2025.
FILE - Former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, marches in the State of Maine Bicentennial Parade, Aug. 21, 2021, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Overview

  • State Auditor Matt Dunlap entered the race on Monday with a platform to the left of Jared Golden, backing Medicare for All, living wages, affordable housing and universal child care.
  • Golden dismissed Dunlap as a “30-year party crony” and argued he would be a weaker general-election opponent against likely GOP nominee and former governor Paul LePage.
  • The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has told Dunlap and Maine party leaders that nominating someone other than Golden could jeopardize national investment and the party’s path to a majority.
  • Republicans welcomed the Democratic infighting, with the NRCC saying the primary improves GOP chances to flip a district President Donald Trump carried by roughly nine points in 2024.
  • Dunlap is seizing on Golden’s status as the only House Democrat to back a GOP stopgap funding bill before the Oct. 1 shutdown; the primary is June 9, 2026, and forecasters currently rate the general election a toss-up.