Democratic Congressman Jared Golden from Maine's 2nd District is predicting that Donald Trump will win the November election. And Golden said he is "OK with that."
Unlike other Democratic leaders in Maine, Golden has reserved comment since last week on President Biden's disastrous debate performance that prompted many grassroots Democrats to call for him to step aside from the race. But in an opinion piece published Tuesday in the Bangor Daily News, Golden said the outcome of the race has been clear to him for months.
The three-term incumbent accused other Democrats of using scare tactics by suggesting a second Trump presidency will endanger the nation. Golden said the nation has withstood a civil war, world wars and other tumultuous periods before and will survive another four-year presidential term.
"I urge everyone — voters, elected officials, the media, and all citizens — to ignore the chattering class’s scare tactics and political pipedreams," Golden wrote. "We don’t need party insiders in smoke-filled back rooms to save us. We can defend our democracy without them."
Instead, Golden said it will be up to Congress to block harmful policies while protecting programs like Medicare, Social Security and the Affordable Care Act. But he did predict that lawmakers will have to "stand up to the GOP old-guard who will use a Trump presidency as cover for handouts to the wealthy and powerful at the cost of America’s working families and communities."
Golden wrote that he would not vote for Trump but he also didn't say he'd vote for Biden. That prompted his Republican opponent this fall, Austin Theriault, to lash out at the congressman.
"What a phony," Theriault said in a statement. "Simple questions for Jared Golden: does he support Joe Biden for President or not? Does Golden believe Biden is mentally competent or not? Golden won't say, because he puts politics ahead of Mainers."
Golden is a moderate Democrat who has voted opposite of the Biden agenda more often than any other Democrat in recent terms. He is seeking reelection in a swing district that Trump won in both 2016 and 2020. National Republican and Democratic groups are already teeing up millions of dollars in advertising in the 2nd District race.
Golden's office did not immediately respond to a request for an interview with the congressman on Tuesday afternoon.
But several hours after the BDN posted Golden's op-ed, the Maine Democratic Party released a statement reiterating its support for Biden. While the statement does not mention Golden, it does predict the type of dire consequences that Democrats say will accompany a second Trump term — and that Golden criticized in his column.
“Unlike Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has delivered for Mainers by lowering costs for Maine families, creating more than 44,000 good paying jobs, investing $2.5 billion to strengthen our infrastructure, and expanding Mainers’ access to affordable health care," reads the statement from the Maine Democratic Party. "Everything is at stake this November – our health, our jobs, our economy, our freedoms, and our democracy. The only way to defeat Donald Trump and his plans to ban abortion nationwide including here in Maine, gut access to affordable health care, and destroy our democracy is to reelect Joe Biden this November – which is why Mainers will rally together and vote for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”
