By Michael Shepherd - Aug. 24, 2023
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Another Republican is considering a 2024 race against Maine's durable congressman. It is getting late for Republicans who want to challenge U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine's swing 2nd District, in 2024. By this time two years ago, former Rep. Bruce Poliquin was already three weeks into a return bid that didn't go well for the Republican.

That election gave Golden a third term and cemented him as a future Democratic prospect for higher office. Right now, the main obstacle to the centrist's standing seems to be that he has angered progressives, including last week when he issued an incendiary and confrontational statement against student loan debt cancellation, one of the top goals for many liberals.

The things that would make him vulnerable in a statewide primary are probably some of the same things that make him hard for a Republican to beat. Only one candidate — former Maine Senate hopeful Robert Cross of Dedham — is running against Golden right now. He has gained little traction, raising an underwhelming $36,000 in the first two months of his campaign.

More candidates are almost certainly on the horizon. Freshman state Rep. Mike Soboleski, R-Phillips, told the conservative Maine Wire that he is considering a run against Golden. The focus of the most speculation in Republican circles has been Rep. Laurel Libby of Auburn, who has proven herself as a good fundraiser from the arch-conservative wing in Augusta.

She has toyed with the speculation a bit, even seeking out Golden for a picture after President Joe Biden's speech last month at an Auburn manufacturing plant while noting many calls requesting that she oppose him in 2024.

To the delight of national Republicans, Golden and other members of the Maine delegation traveled with Biden on that trip. In a speech, Golden embraced the president, who returned the favor with kind words about the congressman. That was notable because a Biden aide once considered trying to primary Golden over his opposition to the president's "Build Back Better" agenda.

But the Republican case against Golden has not really changed since Poliquin tried to prosecute it in 2022. While often citing exact figures, he stressed that despite Golden's high-profile votes against his party, he still voted overwhelmingly voted with Democrats. Soboleski made that argument as well.

"Jared Golden votes with his party the majority of time, I think it’s close to 80 percent, somewhere in that range, yet he tries to pull himself off as a moderate," he told the Maine Wire. "He enables the Biden administration."

The data here is valid, but VoteView calls Golden the most conservative House Democrat on economic issues in this Congress and the last. He put Poliquin through fits by winning a key police endorsement and voting enough on the gun-rights side to keep the National Rifle Association from endorsing in the 2022 race. That lowered the number of issues on the table for Poliquin.

The Republican side has been quiet on this race so far in part because Golden is formidable. But his district voted twice for former President Donald Trump, meaning the congressman is never truly safe. If he is going to be beaten, an energetic challenger needs to come out of the woodwork soon.