Golden declares victory in Maine's high-stakes 2nd District race as counting continues

Nov. 5—Rep. Jared Golden declared victory Wednesday afternoon in the closely watched race for Congress in Maine's 2nd District while leading by a slim margin after a bruising and expensive campaign that could help decide which party controls the House of Representatives.

With 93% of the vote tallied by The Associated Press at 8 p.m., incumbent Golden led challenger Austin Theriault 50.2% to 49.5%. Golden had a lead of 2,650 votes, the AP reported.

Golden declared victory during an afternoon news conference.

"Yesterday, President Trump won Maine's 2nd District by more than 30,000 votes. I hold a roughly 3,000-vote lead with very few outstanding ballots. ... Any viable path to a win for my opponent has closed, so I'm here to declare victory," Golden said Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at Lewiston's Democratic headquarters.

The race had not yet been called by the AP, although Golden cited The Bangor Daily News and its partner, Decision Desk HQ, as having called the race in his favor.

Theriault campaign manager Shawn Roderick said in a written statement earlier Wednesday that "this race is too close to call."

"Our internal tracking of the election results has us up slightly and while we are committed to making sure every legal vote is counted, we will see where this ultimately lands," Roderick said.

Golden, a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran seeking a fourth term, campaigned for reelection on his record as the most independent Democrat in the House of Representatives, breaking ranks with President Biden more than any of his colleagues.

Theriault, a 30-year-old first-term state lawmaker and former race car driver, reminded voters in the closing days of the campaign that he has the strong backing of former President Donald Trump, who was widely expected to — and eventually did — win the 2nd District as well as the overall race for the White House.

The 2nd District race is very close and features write-in candidates, and state officials were monitoring the count in case it could go to a ranked choice runoff.

"We are working diligently to get the official results from the towns and cities so we can assess the state of the federal races and announce whether or not any (ranked choice) tabulations will be required," Emily Cook, spokesperson for the Maine Department of the Secretary of State, said in a statement.

Theriault's plans to challenge the election outcome are welcome to Golden's campaign, the incumbent said, adding that any process in the statute and any legal means to offer a challenge are always on the table.

"We think the process should be followed — cross the T's and dot the I's — and count every vote," Golden said.

Asked what his first steps will be toward working across the aisle with Republicans who won control of the White House, Senate and likely the House, Golden said he would have to see what the composition of Congress looks like when the House goes back into session next week.

"Tax reform is coming up. A lot of the middle-class tax cuts from the 2017 tax package are set to expire," Golden said. "I certainly want to be a part of that. It's really important that we extend those tax cuts for middle-class families without making the deficit even worse than it already is and to find a way to pay for it."

As Democrats brace for a significant Republican push to fulfill the conservative Project 2025 agenda, Golden said he will work with anyone in the White House as best as he can, with his constituents and the country in mind.

As for anything he does not think is in the best interest of the people — "I'm going to stand up," Golden said.

Golden said he was especially proud of his campaign staff and volunteers for helping secure his fourth term win as his "toughest election yet" and one of the toughest in the country. The campaign "withstood stronger headwinds" than most, he said, congratulating Theriault and wishing him success in future endeavors. Golden also thanked his family.

The 2nd District race was one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the country, drawing about $30 million in combined spending from the candidates and outside groups, which spent more than $21 million through Oct. 28.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, the AP was reporting that Republicans won 201 races with Democrats winning 181 seats in the House, with 53, including Maine's 2nd Congressional District, among the races still too close to call.

The winner here and in a handful of other toss-up races across the country could determine who controls the House, where Republicans currently have a narrow majority.

Golden is one of five Democrats representing a district that voted for Trump in 2020. Over the summer, House Speaker Michael Johnson identified Golden's seat as one of the top five pickup opportunities for Republicans this year.

Several national analyses, including Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, have rated the race a toss-up. The Race to the White House has ranked the race the second most competitive in the country.

Golden has been fighting for the split-ticket voters in the largely conservative district that chose him by 6 percentage points in 2020 — the same year voters chose Trump over Biden by 7 points.

A summer op-ed by Golden that predicted a Trump victory and downplayed Democrat warnings about the Republican being a threat to democracy angered many Democrats. His first television ad criticized Biden while highlighting ways that Golden had worked with Republicans and Trump. And Golden did not said publicly whom he would support as president, though he said he would not vote for Trump or endorse Harris.

Theriault, of Fort Kent, criticized Golden for supporting Democratic policies that he said created inflation and weakened border security, and closed the campaign by embracing Trump, who has won the district in the last two presidential elections and did so again this year.

Theriault coasted to a win in the Republican primary this year after getting Trump's endorsement, as well as Johnson's. Theriault's campaign signs prominently touted Trump's endorsement and he spoke of it regularly in radio appearances, in which he echoed Trump's rhetoric. In a WVOM Radio interview during the primary race, Theriault cited the need to push back on "far-left progressives, the Marxists, the communists that want to ruin America and who want to change the fabric of America."

Theriault spoke less of Trump during the general election, portraying himself as a moderate who would "bring balance back to Washington."

And during a televised debate, he created distance from Trump by saying, "I don't agree with his rhetoric. I don't agree with his personality and what he does on Twitter and all that stuff."

Outside groups, meanwhile, hammered each candidate in attack ads and neutralized Golden's fundraising advantage over Theriault.

Outside groups spent $2 million more to boost Theriault than to help Golden, primarily through $10.3 million in attack ads against Golden, blaming him for the border crisis and high prices, and criticizing his support for an assault weapons ban after the mass shooting in Lewiston. Another $1.2 million has been spent on ads promoting the Republicans.

Golden benefited from $9.4 million in outside spending, of which nearly $8.2 million was spent attacking Theriault, saying he would support Republican efforts to ban abortion nationwide and cut Social Security and Medicare, claims that Theriault denies.

Press Herald Staff Photographer Ben McCanna and Sun Journal Staff Writer Joe Charpentier contributed to this report.

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