How a Centrist Democrat Keeps Winning in a Pro-Trump District

BANGOR, Maine—Last month, in the south wing of the U.S. Capitol, two men formed a loose parallel: While Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the only Republican who opposed a six-month government funding patch, citing concerns over its deficit impact, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who defied party pressure to support it, saying that “a shutdown would be worse.”

From afar, the two might look as if they mirror each other. Yet, a closer look at Golden’s record and district reveals deep contrasts. The worlds of Massie and Golden illustrate how politics works across America and why Golden’s seat in a pro-Trump district is likely to remain safe from other Democrats.

Emerging opposition to Golden from fellow Democrats may have been lessened when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) backed the Republican bill. Because of his vote, Schumer resisted calls to step down from his leadership position.

But Golden’s uniqueness, and the uniqueness of Maine’s Second Congressional District, are key to understanding why he will likely prevail against any Democrats inclined to challenge him.

“Mainers are notoriously ticket splitters and fiercely independent—and that goes double for the Second District,” Republican state Rep. David Boyer, who represents a small chunk of Golden’s territory, told The Epoch Times in the halls of the Maine State House in Augusta.

Dave Clark told The Epoch Times he was one of those notorious ticket splitters.

Clark, an Augusta local who was visiting the state house with his grandson, said he supported both Golden and President Donald Trump in last year’s election. He thinks the congressman is somewhat inconsistent on the issues. But on the whole, Clark likes the job Golden has done.

Tiffany Bond, an independent who lost to Golden in 2018 and 2022, told The Epoch Times that politically independent Mainers are “tied together differently” than by parties or ideologies.

Bruce Poliquin, a Republican who lost his seat to Golden in 2018 and unsuccessfully challenged him in 2022, had a similar read.

He told The Epoch Times that “there is a significant vein of independence that runs in Maine” and that candidates who appeal to that instinct—in earnest or otherwise—can succeed.

One of the state’s U.S. senators, Angus King, is independent but overwhelmingly votes with Democrats. The other, Susan Collins, is a centrist Republican known to break with her party.

In Maine’s Second Congressional District, the electorate has repeatedly demonstrated its independence by choosing both Golden and Trump, a Republican. Yet, unlike Trump’s victories, Golden’s have sometimes been narrower.

In 2024, Trump beat former Vice President Kamala Harris in the district by almost 36,000 votes. In that same election, Golden defeated his Republican opponent, former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault, by a little more than 2,700 votes. Theriault conceded to Golden as a recount was underway.

The state’s ranked-choice voting system, introduced in 2018, has also factored in the district, though Golden received more first-choice votes than Theriault in 2024. In 2018, Golden’s first go at the seat, Poliquin garnered more first-choice votes, but Golden ultimately prevailed in the ranked-choice runoff. A month later, Poliquin ended his legal battle against the system, which at that time was novel in the state.

Boyer believes that Golden has moved to the right since his days in Augusta, where he was once the Assistant House Majority Leader. The congressman served as a state representative for four years before being elected to the U.S. House.

In addition to voting with Republicans, Golden on April 2 defended Trump’s sweeping tariff announcements.

Boyer thinks the state’s many independents have made a difference for Golden because of that bipartisanship and relative centrism.

“I think they appreciate that he’s willing to work with other people, even if they don’t agree with the specific issue maybe,” he said.

“The hardcore Republicans don’t like him,” he added.

State Rep. Robert Foley, another Republican from Golden territory who was at the state house, had a different take.

He told The Epoch Times that Golden “only votes with Republicans when it doesn’t matter.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Golden for comment.

Golden Versus Massie

Golden’s record and territory contrast starkly with those of Massie, the other lawmaker who went against the partisan grain on the stopgap funding bill.

Although Massie is known for his independent streak, consistently opposing measures he says would increase the deficit, that does not always translate to reaching across the aisle. The Lugar Center’s bipartisanship index ranks Massie 353 out of 436 lawmakers.

Golden, on the other hand, chairs the dwindling Blue Dog Political Action Committee, a group of centrist and center-right Democrats.

Massie, known for a 2021 Christmas family photo in which they were holding firearms, created the Second Amendment Caucus, which has included fairly conservative and libertarian members of Congress, such as Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

Their districts broadly align with those ideological postures. According to the 2023 Cook Partisan Voting Index, Golden’s district is moderately Republican, while Massie’s territory is solidly Republican.

Notably, while Golden’s district has favored Trump every time he has run, Obama won it in 2008 and 2012. By contrast, Obama lost Kentucky’s 4th by decisive margins in both 2008 and 2012.

Bond said that while she was collecting signatures, she spoke to many voters who chose both Obama and Trump. She said many told her they were disappointed in Obama’s “hope and change” pitch, as they did not benefit from the economic benefits that many Americans projected onto that slogan. She compared it to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan—like “hope and change,” somewhat intangible—predicting that many Trump voters would be similarly disappointed as a result of cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies.

Some of that may come down to primaries; while Maine’s are now semi-open, Kentucky’s are restricted to registered party members. Though Trump defeated Harris by more than 30 percent in Kentucky in 2024, there are just 5.6 percent more registered Republicans than Democrats in the commonwealth. Once a stronghold for Democrats, it last backed their presidential candidate in 1996.

Bond predicted that the semi-open primaries would drive more Mainers to go independent.

The different landscapes help account for different 2026 primary outlooks.

Massie’s district has thrown up multiple primary challengers in recent cycles, though the congressman has taken all comers. Trump publicly called for another Republican to take aim at Massie after the congressman opposed the funding resolution. Golden, on the other hand, has not faced a primary opponent since his first election in 2018.

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Most Mainers who spoke with The Epoch Times thought the prospects of a primary challenge to Golden were unlikely—including a progressive who was excited about an upcoming opportunity for locals to voice their concerns about Golden.

Retired teacher Joni Zavez was at the Bangor Public Library on March 21. The next day, amid outcry over Golden’s continuing resolution vote, the library hosted a town hall led by the local Indivisible chapter with an empty chair for the lawmaker. Indivisible, an anti-Trump nonprofit, billed it as an opportunity to “tell him what you think!”

A self-described registered independent, Zavez said she voted for Golden and Harris and has never voted for Republicans.

While one of her pro-Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) relatives would like to see a primary challenger go up against Golden, Zavez does not.

“Not in this area,” she said. “There are a lot of conservatives.”

Boyer does not expect Democrats to challenge Golden. Even if that occurs, he said, Golden “would win his primary.”

Poliquin, a repeat contender against Golden, did not rule out the possibility of intra-party competition.

“Could he have a primary? Sure, especially in this environment. The Democrats don’t trust him, and the Republicans don’t trust him,” he said.

In Belfast, a seaport city south of Bangor, a Canadian-born woman who would not give her name out of concern of reprisals, said she voted for Golden but was very disappointed in his support for the funding bill.

Name Recognition

At a restaurant bar in Belfast, Australian-born Nate Milne, a conservative voter, said the congressman was okay “on some things” but not the Second Amendment.

“He does seem very centrist,” he said.

Milne’s more liberal wife, Sarah, described herself as neutral on Golden. Asked how Golden keeps winning even as Trump takes the district, she said, “I think it’s just name recognition.”

Golden has had the resources to get his name out there.

Although a primary may not be out of the question, in Golden’s district—unlike Massie’s—party logic suggests that any electoral drama is more likely to play out in the general election.

Poliquin thinks a Trump appearance in Maine could have made the difference in 2024 when Theriault narrowly lost.

For now, an independent-minded electorate that votes for Trump seems comfortable with a Blue Dog Democrat who sometimes backs the Republican president.

Golden’s office did not respond to interview requests from The Epoch Times by publication time.