Maine Congressman Jared Golden opted not to cast his vote as a Democratic "superdelegate" during the party's nominating process for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Party leaders have long planned to hold a virtual roll call vote ahead of the Democratic National Convention later this month in order to avoid legal issues involving ballot access in Ohio. Because of his status a Democratic member of Congress, Golden could have participated in the virtual voting as a superdelegate.
But he said Monday afternoon that he believes regular delegates -- and not "party elites" -- should decide who will represent the party on ballots this November. Harris had already secured enough support from delegates to win the nomination before voting ended on Monday evening.
“In the not-so-distant past, arcane procedural rules gave too much power to elites in the party," Golden said in a statement, referring to the 2016 primary dispute between supporters of nominee Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We’ve changed those rules for the better, but party leaders and elected officials should still refrain from undue influence — or the appearance of it — in selecting the party’s nominee. I have chosen to stay out of it and let the delegates elected at the state conventions decide.”
Golden's decision also means he still isn't on record supporting Harris, who has emerged as the clear Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race.
Golden is running for a fourth term in Maine's more conservative 2nd Congressional District. He has said repeatedly that he will not vote for former President Trump — who won the 2nd District in both 2016 and 2020 — because he does not believe the Republican has the moral character to lead the nation.
But Golden didn't endorse Biden before his withdrawal from the race and has said he needs to learn more about Harris's plans for the country and how her presidency would help residents of his district. Every other top Democratic leader in Maine is backing Harris for president.
Maine's Republican leadership and Golden's opponent this November, state representative and former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault from Fort Kent, have accused the congressman of "playing politics" by not saying whether he supports the Democratic nominee.
"Jared Golden has worked with Kamala Harris for nearly four years and he is telling the people of Maine that he doesn't know her record well enough to vote for her?" David Whitney, the Maine Republican national committeeman, said during a press conference last week. "It's just not credible. I mean, how long do you need? Look, this is how DC politicians operate. He has supported Biden-Harris for years but now he won't tell us who he is voting for."
Golden voted opposite of the Biden agenda and his House party leadership more than any other member of the House Democratic caucus, according to several analyses of voting records.
