Golden returned to Maine in 2013 to work for the House Democratic Office in the Maine Legislature. As a Democrat, he ran for and was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2014, representing part of the city of Lewiston.
Golden was reelected in 2016. In the subsequent legislative session, he became Assistant House Majority Leader.[4] Golden chaired the Elections Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Joint Rules.[8]
On election night, Golden trailed Poliquin by 2,000 votes. As neither candidate won a majority, Maine's newly implemented ranked-choice voting system called for the votes of independents Tiffany Bond and William Hoar to be redistributed to Poliquin or Golden in accordance with their voters' second choice. The independents' supporters ranked Golden as their second choice by an overwhelming margin, allowing him to defeat Poliquin by 3,000 votes after the final tabulation.[10] He is the first challenger to unseat an incumbent in the district since 1916.[11]
Poliquin opposed the use of ranked-choice voting in the election and claimed to be the winner due to his first-round lead. He filed a lawsuit in federal court to have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional and to have himself declared the winner. Judge Lance E. Walker rejected all of Poliquin's arguments and upheld the certified results.[12] Poliquin appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and requested an order to prevent Golden from being certified as the winner, but the request was rejected.[13] On December 24, Poliquin dropped his lawsuit, allowing Golden to take the seat.[14]
Golden visits a diner and meets constituents in his district
Golden ran for reelection in 2020 and won the Democratic primary unopposed. His Republican opponent was Dale Crafts, a former Maine representative. Most political pundits expected Golden to win the general election easily; polling showed him ahead of Crafts by an average of about 19%, Sabato's Crystal Ball and The Cook Political Report both rating the contest as "Likely Democratic", and analysis website FiveThirtyEight predicted that Golden had a 96 out of 100 chance of winning, with Golden garnering nearly 57% of the vote in their projection of the most likely scenario.[15][16][17][18]
In November, Golden defeated Crafts 53%–47%, a closer margin than expected.[19] President Donald Trump carried the district in that same election.[20]
Golden ran for reelection in 2022 and won the Democratic primary unopposed.[21] Redistricting pushed the 2nd further into Kennebec County. Notably, he picked up Augusta, which had long been part of the 1st district.
Golden faced former Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin, whom he narrowly beat in 2018, and independent Tiffany Bond, who also ran for the 2nd congressional district seat in 2018. In July, Golden was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Maine's largest police union, which "split the ticket" by also endorsing former Republican governor Paul LePage.[22] Polls again showed Golden with a lead,[23] but many organizations rated the seat as a "tossup", as incumbent president Joe Biden was unpopular and inflation was approaching 40-year highs; Decision Desk HQ even gave the seat a "Leans Republican" rating.[24] Nonetheless, Golden led the field in the first round, and defeated Poliquin 53%–47% after Bond's second-choice votes mostly flowed to him.[25]
Golden won a fourth term in Congress.[26] He very narrowly defeated Republican state representative Austin Theriault, who was endorsed by Donald Trump.[27]
Golden represents the second-most rural district in the United States, with 72% of its population living in rural areas. The district also has the second-highest proportion of non-Hispanic White residents (94%). Only Kentucky's 5th congressional district exceeds it in the two categories.[33] Additionally, his district was carried by Donald Trump in 2020, the only district in New England to do so.
Golden in January 2023 was one of seven Democrats to vote with Republicans in favor of H.R.497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, which sought to lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[38][39] A day later, he was among 12 Democrats who supported with Republicans a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[40][41]
Golden was one of two Democrats to vote with Republicans against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.[42] While he acknowledged the bill had many good provisions, such as creating a national registry for police misconduct, increasing data collection, promoting de-escalation tactics, and banning chokeholds unless deadly force was authorized, he expressed concern over its proposed restrictions on qualified immunity. Golden also criticized the lack of further negotiations since the bill's initial passage.[43]
Education
Golden was one of two House Democrats, alongside Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, to side with Republicans in voting to overturn President Biden's student loan debt cancellation plan of 2023.[44]
In 2022, Golden and Kurt Schrader of Oregon were the only Democrats to vote against raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.[49] Later that year, Golden joined Republicans and four other Democrats in voting against a bill that proposed banning assault weapons.[50]
However, after the 2023 Lewiston shootings in his hometown, where 18 people were killed, Golden changed his stance. He apologized and called for a federal ban on assault weapons.[51] He stated in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, "I really believe that any law-abiding and competent citizen should have fairly easy access to firearms." However, the shooting raised questions for him, and he stated "Am I going to start carrying an AR-15 slung over my shoulder when I go to the grocery store, when I go to a restaurant?" He noted that the odds of being in the right place to stop an active shooter were slim. "And what responsibilities do I have as a leader of the community?"[52]
Infrastructure
Golden at Elmet Technologies promoting manufacturing and infrastructure in Maine
Golden was the only House Democrat to vote with Republicans against the Build Back Better Act, citing concerns about the elimination of the $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction and the lack of prescription drug pricing reform.[53] However, he later joined Democrats in voting for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, an amended version of the original bill.[54]
LGBT rights
Golden voted in 2022 for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and federally protected same-sex and interracial marriages.[55] He was one of four Democrats to join with the majority of House Republicans to pass the annual defense policy bill, which included provisions barring Pentagon funding for abortion and transgender surgeries.[56]
Golden was one of 38 Democrats to vote against the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement Implementation Act.[58] He expressed concern that the law's labeling requirements would not prevent international companies from misbranding products, potentially harming Maine businesses. Golden also voiced skepticism about enforcement, citing the U.S.'s poor track record with previous trade agreements in protecting workers.[59]
Personal life
Golden's wife, Isobel (née Moiles), served as a Lewiston city councilor from 2016 to 2018.[60][61] They have two daughters.[62] Golden also has several tattoos from his time in the military, including a Celtic cross on his forearm and a "devil dog" which represents his Marine unit.[63][64]
% (gross) = percent of all valid votes cast (without eliminating the exhausted votes)
% (net) = percent of votes cast after eliminating the exhausted votes
Maine's 2nd congressional district, 2018 general elections[66]
% (gross) = percent of all valid votes cast (without eliminating the exhausted votes)
% (net) = percent of votes cast after eliminating the exhausted votes
% (gross) = percent of all valid votes cast (without eliminating the exhausted votes)
% (net) = percent of votes cast after eliminating the exhausted votes
^"Tabulations for Elections held in 2018". www.maine.gov. Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, Elections and Voting, Tabulations. June 12, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
