Moderate Democrat and Marine veteran wins re-election in Trump-leaning congressional district

The Associated Press projects that Democratic representative Jared Golden will win re-election in Maine’s 2nd district, a state that leans red in a blue state, by defeating Republican challenger Austin Theriault.

He faced Republican Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, who was the first state lawmaker to change the seat from blue to red.

Golden, a Marine veteran who served in combat tours in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a moderate Democrat who is often at odds with his party and President Biden’s administration.

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The congressman made headlines earlier this year when he said he “doesn’t know” whether to vote for Biden for re-election and was one of the first Democrats in Congress to question the president’s mental and physical abilities to govern. four more years in the White House.

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Golden, who was first elected to Congress in 2018, has now won four consecutive elections in a swing district.

Austin Theriault appears at the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race, in Richmond, Va., in 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Maine and Nebraska are the only states in the nation that can allocate their electoral votes in presidential elections by congressional district. And while Maine is reliably blue in White House races, former President Trump carried Maine’s second district in 2016 and 2020.

A largely rural state, comprising about 80 percent of Maine’s total land area, it is the largest state east of the Mississippi River.

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