ME-02: Maine State Auditor Defies National Democrats, Launches Primary Against Moderate Jared Golden

[RandySF]

Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap on Monday launched a primary challenge against moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden in a race that could directly affect the party’s hopes of winning a House majority next year.

The showdown in Maine’s right-leaning 2nd Congressional District will likely draw national attention as a referendum on whether Democrats’ rank-and-file voters will continue to back candidates who break from the party on some key votes — or if they will take an electoral risk on a candidate they think better represents their values.

Dunlap’s announcement ends months of speculation about whether he’ll take on the incumbent. In an interview, he told NOTUS that he planned to make Golden’s willingness to side with Republicans a centerpiece of his campaign.

“What I’ve heard from folks is they think we can do better. They’re unhappy with our current situation,” Dunlap said. “You know, Jared Golden, people feel like he’s been bad for us. He has developed a consistency of voting with the Republican caucus on very important issues that affect real Mainers.”


https://www.notus.org/2026-election/maine-state-auditor-matt-dunlap-primary-challenge-jared-golden

[lostincalifornia]

1. It won't be the first time, and I am sure it won't be the last.

Trump won that district by 9 points, and the GOP believes it is an opportunity for them to pickup a seat.

Maine is a semi-open primary state, which means unaffiliated voters who are not enrolled in any political party can choose to participate in one of the party's primary.