Maine Democrat Jared Golden survives toughest challenge to date

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) on Wednesday survived his toughest challenge to date, Decision Desk HQ projects, fending off a formidable GOP opponent to secure his fourth term on Capitol Hill.

Golden has been a perennial target of Republicans in Maine's 2nd District, which ranks among the most rural in the country. He was one of just five Democratic incumbents seeking reelection in a district carried by President-elect Trump in 2020, and GOP operatives thought they had a ringer this year in Austin Theriault, a 30-year-old state representative and former NASCAR driver. Both sides spent millions of dollars on the race.

But Golden, 42, has built his own brand as an independent voice in his six years in the lower chamber. A former Marine who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, he's been unafraid to vote against his party on high-profile issues like energy policy, student loan forgiveness and police reform. He's also a co-chair of the Blue Dog Democrats, a once formidable group of moderate lawmakers who are trying to revive that influence by advocating for centrist policies and bipartisan policymaking.

That track record helped Golden win in 2020, when Trump carried the district by 6.1 points, and it's insulated him since then from GOP attacks trying to link him to President Biden and the liberals in the Democratic caucus. This year proved no different.

Golden's victory is sure to frustrate GOP leaders, who saw the district as one of their best chances to pad their slim House majority. It's also an indication that, at least in some parts of the polarized country, voters are still willing to split the ballot.

The closeness of the race made it among the most expensive in the country, as outside groups poured more than $25 million into the district, according to OpenSecrets.