Democratic congressman Jared Golden has announced his retirement, saying he will not be running for re-election in his battleground Maine district.
The 43-year-old cited political violence and extreme polarisation in the US as reasons why he is leaving office, penning an opinion piece published in his hometown newspaper.
“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,” the congressman wrote.
Golden’s district elected Trump in the 2024 election by nine points, and his seat has been identified as vulnerable for Democrats going into the midterm elections next year.
The announcement comes amid a bitter redistricting war across the US, with both conservative and democratic-led states changing voting lines to shore up their party’s chances of controlling the US House of Representatives.
In Tuesday’s election, voters in California approved new maps that would give Democrats an advantage in five new districts. The measure aims to cancel out moves by Texas that gave an advantage to Republicans in five new districts.
Golden is a moderate Democrat who has sometimes broken with his party on key votes. Recently, he voted with Republican colleagues on a measure to fund the government.
He was facing a left-wing challenger going his Democratic primary, and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is also running for the seat.
Despite those factors, the congressman wrote that he doesn’t believe he would have lost a bid for reelection. Rather, he says, he fears for his safety and his family’s safety if he stays in office.
“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” he wrote. “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.”
Golden was first elected is 2018, unseating Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin. Before that, he was a state legislator and Marine veteran.
Republicans are already celebrating his announcement.
“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,” Maureen O’Toole, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told US media.
Golden says he hopes his exit opens the door for competitive races on both the Republican and Democratic sides.
“The torch should be passed to those with the greatest stake in the future — my generation and those who follow,” he wrote. “I have consistently called for a new generation of leaders and I repeat that call today.”
By BBC News
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