By Michael Shepherd - Sept. 21, 2023
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Untested candidates invoke the president in a budding primary against Maine's congressman. The 2024 Republican primary in Maine's 2nd District looks to be nearly set, with state Rep. Michael Soboleski of Phillips releasing a video on Thursday to kick off his campaign for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a third-term Democrat.

Soboleski joins former Maine Senate candidate Robert Cross of Dedham in the field. They will soon be accompanied by Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, who may be the most formidable candidate from the jump because he is being backed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, and has national fundraising connections due to his past as a NASCAR driver.

All three of the Republicans are untested in truly competitive elections and have next to no political profiles across the sweeping district. Cross lost a 2022 primary. Soboleski barely won his primary before taking a safe Republican seat. Theriault easily cleared a little-known Democratic challenger in the St. John Valley behind a benign message of working across the aisle.

While the Republicans try to generate attention and momentum, they will open by taking whacks at Golden. The early ones look a lot like those used by former Rep. Bruce Poliquin to limited effect in 2022. For example, he blamed Democrats for a "chaotic" situation there, even though he and Golden had few policy disagreements on the issue.

Soboleski's video dinged Golden on the same subject, saying he had "done nothing" to secure the border and used a photo of Golden with the unpopular President Joe Biden on a trip to Maine this year. Soboleski's campaign called the congressman Biden's "enabler-in-chief."

While Golden overwhelmingly votes with his party, he is the most conservative House Democrat on economic issues. His swing votes gave Poliquin fits in 2022, including when the National Rifle Association declined to endorse in the race and a police group gave its endorsement to Golden.

The new candidates are going to have to find ways around those hurdles. It increasingly looks like former President Donald Trump will be on the ballot against Biden in 2024, despite the Republican's four rounds of state and federal indictments. He won the 2nd District in 2016 and 2020, though Golden has had swing support and got slightly more votes than Trump last time.

National Republicans are counting on a good year at the top of the ticket in places like the 2nd District, fueling hopes that they can knock off Golden. But Maine's recent history has shown that candidates who attempt to carve out unique profiles often defeat those who hew to party lines. That will make this primary between virtually unknown candidates an important one.