Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden claimed victory in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District race on Wednesday, although Republican Austin Theriault has yet to concede and signaled plans on Wednesday to potentially request a recount.
Maine’s 2nd District contest was one of about 40 House races nationwide that not been called by The Associated Press by Wednesday evening. But Golden held a press conference in Lewiston shortly after the Bangor Daily News and its elections partner, Decision Desk HQ, said the Democrat had won the race.
"Any viable path to a win for my opponent has closed, so I'm here to declare victory," Golden said. "Anyone who has observed this race knows that this was my toughest election yet. Across the country, no Democrat has withstood tougher headwinds from the top of the ticket, the pundits or the organized opposition."
National groups have spent more than $25 million on the 2nd District race, which has become a key front in the larger battle for control of the House. Theriault, a 30-year-old state lawmaker and former NASCAR driver, also ran an aggressive campaign backed by some of the national GOP's top leaders, including former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
"This race was hard-fought and hard-won and therefore is the victory I am most proud of," Golden said.
But Theriault's campaign indicated Wednesday afternoon that they didn't believe the race was over yet.
"This race still remains too close to call," campaign spokeswoman Preya Samsundar said in a statement. "We're well within the margin that would trigger a state-funded automatic recount, and every vote should be counted."
Maine does not have automatic recounts in elections. However, candidates can request recounts and, in the case of congressional contests, the state will foot the bill if the two candidates are separated by 1% or less of the total votes cast. That process would begin by having all ballots securely transported to a central location in Augusta. Recounts are done in public with the full involvement of representatives from the respective campaigns.
As of 5:30 p.m., Golden was leading Theriault 50.3% to 49.4% with 92% of votes have been reported, according to unofficial tallies from The Associated Press. The race also featured a declared write-in candidate, Diana Merenda of Surry, and write-in candidates accounted for 0.3% of the total in the AP count. The Bangor Daily News showed less than a 1% margin separating Golden and Theriault with 95% of votes counted.
Golden is a 42-year-old Marine Corps veteran who has carved out a reputation as a moderate or centrist Democrat during his three terms in Washington. Theriault, meanwhile, entered the race with some name recognition in northern and rural Maine thanks to his years racing stock cars and trucks in local, regional and national tracks, including in NASCAR. He is closing out his first term representing his hometown of Fort Kent in the Maine House.
The race is being watched closely around the country as Democrats and Republicans battle for control of the House. Golden is one of just five Democratic incumbents — out of 435 total House races — running for reelection this year in a district that President-elect Donald Trump won in 2020.
