The outcome of the hotly contested race for Maine's 2nd Congressional District remains unclear more than 16 hours after the polls closed.
As of noon on Wednesday, Democratic Congressman Jared Golden was leading Republican challenger Austin Theriault by more than 5,000 votes, according to results compiled by The Associated Press. But nearly one-quarter of the results from across the 2nd District have yet to be reported. Neither campaign has declared victory or conceded defeat. And the race will go to a ranked-choice runoff if no one wins more than 50% of the vote.
Theriault's campaign was still expressing optimism despite consistently trailing the Democratic incumbent since early Wednesday morning.
"This race is way too close to call," Theriault campaign manager Shawn Roderick said in a statement just before noon on Wednesday. "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. We deeply appreciate the support so many have shown to our campaign and ask for patience as the democratic process plays out."
Golden's campaign had not yet commented on the voting results as of Wednesday afternoon.
"When he has something to say about the returns, when we have something definitive that we know in this race, we will be advising press and he will make a statement," Bobby Reynolds, Golden's campaign advisor, told reporters on Tuesday after the polls closed.
Golden also released a statement shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
"At a time when national conversation is so often dominated by divisive politics and personalities, I feel good about running a campaign focused on the issues that matter to Mainers — our safety, our freedoms, our health care and our jobs,” Golden said. "As we wait for every ballot to be counted, I want to thank Maine voters for turning out to participate in the greatest democracy the world has ever known.”
Maine's 2nd District race has been a major target for both national parties as they battled for control of the U.S. House. Outside groups dumped more than $25 million into a race that Cook Political Report listed as one of only about two dozen "toss-ups" nationwide this year out of 435 House seats.
Golden is a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran who has carved out a reputation as a moderate Democrat during his three terms in Washington. Theriault, meanwhile, is a 30-year-old former professional race car driver who now represents his hometown of Fort Kent in the Maine Legislature.
Golden has held the 2nd District seat since 2018, when he defeated Republican Congressman Bruce Poliquin in the nation’s first congressional race decided by a ranked-choice runoff. Enough District 2 voters then split their tickets two years later by voting to send the Democrat back to DC even as the majority voted to re-elect Republican President Donald Trump.
He is one of only five Democratic House incumbents running for reelection in districts that voted for Trump in 2020.
Like most competitive races around the country, the economy was a top issue in the 2nd District this year. It’s a rural district that has struggled economically over the past few decades as mills closed and the forestry and fishing industries faced challenges.
Theriault’s campaign tried hard to link Golden to the Biden administration and to the more progressive wing of the Democratic party, even though Golden has voted opposite of the Biden agenda and his own caucus leadership more often than any other Democrat in the House. Theriault also accused Golden — a strong supporter of gun rights — of "flip-flopping" on the Second Amendment after he endorsed a ban on assault-style weapons after a gunman used a high-powered rifle to kill 18 people in his hometown of Lewiston in October 2023.
Taking a page from the national Republican playbook, Theriault also accused Golden of supporting policies that worsened inflation and drove up energy costs while voting against Republican border security bills.
Golden responded by pointing to his numerous votes against progressive priorities, including when he and another group of moderate Democrats blocked passage of the Green New Deal. He also accused Theriault of cherry-picking votes and ignoring his support for other border security bills and to increase domestic fossil fuel production.
Golden and his Democratic allies also hammered Theriault on abortion. Golden is a staunch supporter of abortion rights while Theriault said he is personally opposed to abortion but believes it is a state issue. Democrats also suggested that Theriault would vote with other Republicans to “gut” Social Security, although Theriault pledged to oppose any effort by his party to increase the starting age for the program.
