Jared Golden has won the Democratic nomination for Maine's Second Congressional District Race. The Maine Secretary of State's office made the announcement Wednesday evening after the results from ranked-choice voting catapulted Golden into a clear majority, which he fell just short of on election night.
Golden garnered 49 percent of the the vote on election night, giving him a strong lead over runner-up Lucas St. Clair's 41 percent. After the ranked-choice voting count, Golden sealed his victory, with 54 percent of the vote compared to St. Clair's 45 percent.
"I don't take anything for granted, and the first time we used ranked-choice voting, so it feels good to have it official, great win," Golden says.
Golden currently serves as the Assistant Majority Leader of the House. He campaigned for the Second Congressional District on a platform to support higher wages, veterans and better access to healthcare issues influenced by his personal experiences as a Marine Corps veteran who received a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder after his service.
Golden says he thinks those issues resonate with a district that has supported Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin for the past four years.
“This is about the people of Maine, this is about unseating a congressman who I think has voted with the current administration well over 90 percent of the time, but already putting out statements about their bipartisan track record,” says Golden.
He has the backing of his former challengers St. Clair and Craig Olson, who issued statements after last week's election that no matter the final outcome of the race, they want a Democrat to represent Maine's Second District in Congress.
