Jared Golden says he won’t endorse any presidential candidate

MADAWASKA, Maine — U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat up for reelection this year in a district twice carried by former President Donald Trump, announced Thursday that he will not endorse any candidate in the presidential race.

Golden issued a statement late Thursday afternoon after facing repeated questions over whether he would support his party’s ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He said he “will fight for Mainers no matter who occupies the White House.”

“Let me be as clear as I can be — I will not be endorsing in the presidential race,” Golden said. “The reason is simple: I am running to represent all the people of this district, regardless of who they vote for at the top of the ticket.”

Earlier Thursday, Golden deflected questions from reporters at an event in northern Maine about supporting Harris and Walz, saying “no one asked me” about supporting President Joe Biden in 2020, when Golden said he would vote for Biden after Biden beat Harris and other Democratic primary candidates.

The third-term Democrat from Maine’s 2nd District otherwise said he is “keenly focused” on representing his constituents while at a ribbon cutting Thursday for a new port of entry and international bridge that replaces the old and deteriorating bridge connecting Madawaska with Edmundston, New Brunswick.

“It’s going to be a competitive race,” Golden said. “I’m going to do this job.”

Golden, a third-term Democrat and Marine veteran from Lewiston, is running for reelection against state Rep. Austin Theriault, a Fort Kent Republican and former NASCAR driver endorsed by Trump. Theriault has gone after Golden repeatedly in recent weeks for not giving firm answers on supporting Harris, a former U.S. senator and California attorney general, and Walz, a former National Guard member and congressman.

While other Maine Democrats quickly coalesced around backing the Harris-Walz ticket after Biden opted against seeking reelection following a shaky June debate against Trump, Golden has been among several Democrats running for Congress who had not yet offered their support.

Golden irked a segment of his Democratic supporters after saying in early July that Trump would beat Biden and that he was “OK with that.” He said he would not support Trump but did not commit to supporting Biden. After Biden announced his plan later in July to not seek reelection, Golden said he wanted to see what Harris’ “vision for the future of the country is” before deciding to support her.

Biden was trailing Trump in numerous polls before announcing his decision to step aside, but Harris has brought renewed momentum to the Democratic Party, with a new poll released Wednesday showing her leading or tied with Trump in six of seven battleground states.

Asked whether he still believes Trump will win in November, Golden was brief Thursday.

“It is a possibility,” he said. “It certainly is.”

Golden will also not attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week and declined to join superdelegates in a virtual vote this month that cemented Harris as the party’s nominee. Still, the congressman who voted last year against Biden policies more than any other House Democrat has proven a tough candidate for Republicans to beat since first winning election in 2018 to represent Maine’s 2nd District that went for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

The Cook Political Report has rated Golden’s race against Theriault as a “toss up,” one of 11 seats currently held by Democrats alongside 11 GOP-held seats to also receive that rating. With less than three months to go, Mainers may now request absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election.

BDN writer Paula Brewer contributed reporting.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Golden on reporters not asking him about supporting Biden in 2020.