Democrat Jordan Wood announced Wednesday that he's abandoning his U.S. Senate bid to instead run for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Rep. Jared Golden.
The move by Wood follows Golden's announcement last week that he won't seek reelection, a decision that could diminish Democrats' ability to hold the seat in next year's midterm elections.
Wood amassed more than $3 million during his Senate bid, but was overshadowed by Democratic hopefuls Gov. Janet Mills and oyster farmer Graham Platner.
He now joins a Democratic primary that already includes former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. Dunlap launched his primary campaign against Golden against the wishes of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or DCCC. The organization is the campaign arm of the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House. It has also declined to endorse Dunlap after Golden dropped out.
Wood lives in Bristol, which is in the 1st Congressional District, but that does not bar him from running in the 2nd District. He told the Portland Press Herald that he is looking for a home in Lewiston, which is in the 2nd District.
In a statement, Wood noted that he was born and raised in Lewiston and can relate to the struggles of 2nd District families.
"Growing up in Lewiston shaped who I am today, and it’s why I’ve spent the last decade taking on special interests and the politicians in both parties that sell out to them. I know what families who are living paycheck to paycheck are feeling right now because I’ve lived it," he said in a statement.
Other Democrats, including gubernatorial hopeful Troy Jackson, are other possible contenders. The winner of next June's Democratic primary is expected to take on former Republican Gov. Paul LePage and any independents who get in the race.
In a statement, Wood said his campaign has the resources to defeat LePage.
"There's no way I'm letting Paul LePage represent my hometown of Lewiston," he said in his announcement video.
LePage is also a native of Lewiston. The two-term governor retired and moved to Florida after leaving office in 2019. He returned to Maine to challenge Mills in 2022 but was soundly defeated.
The governor lived in Edgecomb during that contest, but returned to Florida after falling to Mills. He registered to vote in Augusta earlier this year after entering the 2nd District race, claiming a commercial property owned by former GOP gubernatorial hopeful Shawn Moody as his residence. The Augusta City Clerk's office confirmed that he voted in the most recent election using that same address.
In an email, his political consultant Brent Littlefield noted the former governor's connections to Maine, adding, "He has spent every single year living in Maine spring, summer, and fall since he became a snowbird, like many Maine retirees, living out of state for a period of the year."
