Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) might be the perfect candidate in Maine’s pro-President Donald Trump Second Congressional District to take out incumbent Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), and he’s already showing to be Golden’s strongest challenge yet.
The former two-term governor was a huge recruitment win for Republicans in the rural district – the largest congressional district by geographical area east of the Mississippi River.
Golden first won in 2018, defeating Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME), who was leading after the first round of balloting but won on the second due to Maine’s ranked-choice voting system.
Republicans have targeted the district since, coming close each cycle but not yet defeating Golden.
They believe LePage is a different kind of candidate.
LePage carries significantly more name recognition in the district than Golden’s most recent Republican challenger.
Thirty-year-old former race car driver Austin Theriault, elected to the state legislature only in 2022, closed on Golden as Election Day neared, but could not catch up in time.
A winner statewide two times, LePage won’t face the problem of starting off far behind.
LePage has won big in the district in each of his past three campaigns for governor. And after just 57 days in the race, LePage already raised a massive $550,000 – nearly 90 percent of them coming from Mainers.
His Trump bona fides – LePage has been praised as a “longtime ally” of Trump, who carried the district by 9 points last November – weigh in his favor as well.
LePage is counting on his background to show Mainers he will fight for them. The former governor fled an abusive family environment at age eleven, learned to speak English to get through school, and worked his way through college, eventually becoming a business leader and governor.
Meanwhile, polling suggests Golden is more vulnerable than ever.
Two polls already show Golden losing in a head-to-head matchup with LePage. And the incumbent’s favorability is lower than at any point in his congressional career, sitting at jut 48% favorable and 41% unfavorable – four points lower than ever.
Golden faces problems from his left flank as well, with his base threatening to take him out before he even faces LePage.
He has one primary challenger already, and Matt Dunlap, Maine’s former Secretary of State, is seriously considering challenging him in the primary as well. Democrat Leadership tried to intervene to stop Dunlap from entering in the race, but those efforts appear to have emboldened him.
Golden’s campaign finances reflect a markedly different picture from those of LePage. Of Golden’s $558,172 individual contributions in the second quarter of 2025, nearly 90 percent came from out of state donors.
Of that 90 percent, over half came from the liberal bastions of New York, Massachusetts, California, and Washington, DC, numbers which match Golden’s performance in the first quarter of 2025.
And over $30,000 of Golden’s second quarter campaign cash from other Washington Democrats, including well-known liberals.
| Contributor Name | Associated Candidate | Date | Amount |
| AMERIPAC | Steny Hoyer | 06/25/2025 | $5,000 |
| Patriot PAC | Pat Ryan | 06/30/2025 | $1,000 |
| Democratic Majority Fund | Suzan DelBene | 06/25/2025 | $3,000 |
| Doing Right – Results Action Unity Leadership PAC | Raul Ruiz | 06/25/2025 | $1,000 |
| Yinzer PAC | Chris DeLuzio | 06/25/2025 | $1,000 |
| Blue Momentum PAC | Ted Lieu | 06/29/2025 | $1,000 |
| Pete Aguilar For Congress | Pete Aguilar | 06/25/2025 | $2,000 |
| CA LUV PAC | Pete Aguilar | 06/25/2025 | $5,000 |
| Making A Difference PAC | Madeline Dean | 06/30/2025 | $1,000 |
| Tomorrow PAC | Sarah McBride | 06/26/2025 | $1,000 |
| Fair Shot PAC | Katherine Clark | 06/18/2025 | $5,000 |
| Serve America PAC | Seth Moulton | 06/30/2025 | $2,000 |
| SHP PAC | Scott Peters | 06/25/2025 | $2,000 |
| Friends Of Don Beyer | Don Beyer | 06/06/2025 | $1,000 |
| Puget PAC | Rick Larsen | 06/25/2025 | $1,500 |
| American Innovation PAC | Ami Bera | 06/25/2025 | $500 |
| BEEPAC | Jim Himes | 06/30/2025 | $1,000 |
(Itemized Receipts, Federal Election Commission, Filed 7/15/25)
Now in his fourth term in Washington, Golden has built a record that exposes him to legitimate accusations of serial flip-flopper. Republicans have exposed Golden for flip-flopping on everything from immigration and transgender issues to illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections and gun rights.
The dynamics present Republicans a key pickup opportunity in a state that by most metrics should be held by the GOP.
White House Legislative Affairs Director James Braid explained in a Breitbart News event in July why Republicans can hold Congress in the midterm elections, defying historical trends in which the party holding the White House suffers electoral losses.
The biggest opportunity for Republicans, Braid said, is in the 13 Democrat-held House districts won by Trump in 2024.
Maine’s Second District is one of those 13.
Keeping the House is critical for Trump. After Republicans lost the House during midterms in Trump’s first term, the president’s agenda came to a screeching halt, highlighted by two impeachments.
Trump wants to avoid that at all costs, and his team believes they can defy the political past to do so.
With Golden’s record catching up to him and a proven candidate like LePage, Republicans are counting on flipping the seat. In doing so, LePage may be a part of history.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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