FROM FOX NEWS: A House Democrat representing a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024 is not seeking re-election next year.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, announced his plans in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, a day after Democrats’ sweeping electoral victories in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York City.
Golden has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019. He’s managed to hold on to the seat through his constituents voting for President Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024.
The moderate Democrat — also a Marine Corps veteran — has been known to frequently break from his own party, including on the recent government shutdown vote in September.
“I have never loved politics. But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination,” Golden wrote.
“But after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves.”
“We have seen mainstream Republicans stand by as their party was hijacked first by Tea Party obstructionists and then by the MAGA movement and its willingness to hand much of Congress’ authority to the president,’ Golden wrote.
“I fear Democrats are going down the same path. We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds-barred, obstructionary tactics as the GOP.”
“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son,” he wrote.
“I have long supported term limits and while current law allows me to run again, I like the idea of ending my service in Congress after eight years — the length of term limits in the Maine Legislature.”
After much deliberation, I’ve decided not to seek reelection in 2026.
I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win. But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished…
— Jared Golden for Congress (@golden4congress) November 5, 2025
House Republicans’ campaign arm immediately released its own statement.
“Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole wrote in a press.
What a huge loss to the United States Congress. @RepGolden has been my greatest ally in the cause of bipartisanship and center-forward problem solving. His courage on the House Floor is unmatched, and our nation is better because of his service. Jared Golden is a true patriot, a… pic.twitter.com/9uKpo3arzz
— Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸 (@RepBrianFitz) November 5, 2025
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