Jared Golden ended his night on Tuesday with the lead in the three-way race for Democratic nomination in Maine's Second District Congressional race. He eventually sent supporters in Lewiston home around midnight, unable to declare any kind of victory.
Golden ended the evening by telling supporters at the Franco Center in Lewiston that he hoped to carry his lead and earn the right to face off against incumbent Republican Bruce Poliquin in the fall.
"It's time to reform our broken politics,” Golden said. “For too long, the powerful and the well-connected have had their way, all because of politicians like Bruce Poliquin, who have been too eager to carry their water."
Lucas St. Clair, who seems to have recieved the second highest number of votes, and Golden both decided it would be wiser to wait until later Wednesday to see whether a clear winner had emerged from Tuesdays's balloting. St. Clair said it was too early to tell whether ranked-choice voting would be needed to determine the winner.
"I'm feeling optimistic about the work that we have done and the effort that we've put in across this district that we'll prevail," St. Lucas said. "Whether or not we know tonight or whether it will be a week from now, that still remains to be seen."
Golden is campaigning on a platform to raise workers' wages, increase access to health care, and support clean energy. He's been a democratic representative in Maine's House since 2014.
Additional reporting by A.J. Higgins.