Maine’s Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who was hired by voters of the state’s 2nd congressional district, and considered a moderate member, made an announcement on Wednesday about his electoral future in the wake of the off-year elections on Tuesday.
Golden holds a unique distinction in the second half of 2025–he’s the only House Democrat who crossed the aisle and voted aye to aid passage of Speaker Mike Johnson’s clean continuing resolution to avoid the now 36-day-long Schumer Shutdown.
He’s on his third House term, after first being elected to the seat in 2019.
But what you may not have seen widely reported in the legacy media is that about a week ago, he did not mince words when blasting the Democrat Party leadership for “lying” about the shutdown strategy–something my colleague, Jennifer Van Laar wrote about back before the spring CR battle nearly let to a shutdown:
READ MORE: Democrats Are Again Lying About Supposed Medicare/Medicaid Cuts in the Budget CR
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In an interview published on Oct. 26, Golden told the Wall Street Journal that Republicans had nailed the reason his party took the position on the CR it did, by demanding continued funding of Obamacare subsidies that they themselves put an expiration date on when it was passed in 2022. (If you missed the news, it expires at the end of ’25.) He simply refused to tow the line for Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-) and the Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) on the mess–and it was not the first time he bucked them on this: (emphasis mine)
“I’m just uncomfortable lying about the strategy to win and shutting down the government. We’ve never been the party that does that,” Golden told the Journal in an article published Sunday.
…
[…And] while he favors extending some subsidies, he believes Republicans’ concerns about the issue should be a “starting point” for both parties to come to the table and negotiate. Some Republicans have discussed restricting eligibility for the subsidies to a certain income level.
“I’m not willing to shut down the government over health care subsidies for households making $300,000,” Golden told the Journal. “I think we have a deficit problem in this country that neither party is showing any ability or political will to address.”
It’s not the first time Golden has broken from his party. He was also the lone House Democrat who voted for a Republican-crafted spending bill to avoid a government shutdown in March.
Fast-forward after 14 “no” votes by the Democrat caucus in the U.S. Senate–and Tuesday’s off-year elections, in which liberals among the Dems mostly held the day. On Wednesday morning, Rep. Golden published an op-ed in his local paper of record, the Bangor Daily News, an announcement on his upcoming retirement instead of tunning for reelection. [Note in advance that the excerpt below is quite lengthy, but it’s worth reading in full.[
“After much deliberation, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2026,” the lawmaker wrote. “I am forever grateful for the honor of serving my constituents in Congress, and proud of what I’ve accomplished for Maine. But recently, it became clear that now is the right time to step away from elected office.”
“I have never loved politics,” he continued. “But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination.”
Golden said, however, that recent instances of political violence “have made me reassess the frequent threats against me and my family.”
“As a father, I have to consider whether the good I can achieve outweighs everything my family endures as a result,” he wrote.
The congressman added that he was also prompted to cut bait now by “this unnecessary, harmful shutdown,” blaming both the GOP’s and Democrats’ “nonstop, hyperbolic accusation and recriminations,” which signaled to him that Congress is “broken.”
His column continued his harsh blasting of the radical “path” he sees his party going down, while taking a gratuitous swipe at both MAGA and the TEA Party:
Golden expressed concern about the future of his own party. He recalled seeing the Republican Party get “hijacked first by Tea Party obstructionists and then by the MAGA movement and its willingness to hand much of Congress’ authority to the president.”
“I fear Democrats are going down the same path,” he wrote, pointing to the shutdown as the latest example. “We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots.”
This move comes, by the way, after the Maine lawmaker told his party and constituents back in May that he would run again for the seat. Now, are things completely rosy for the Dems after last night’s election victories? We report, then let you readers decide. Regardless, we’ll keep you posted.
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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