U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District clinched a fourth term over state Rep. Austin Theriault in a tight Tuesday election that is one of the closest in Maine history and is almost certainly headed to a recount.

Golden, a Marine veteran who first won election to Congress in 2018, had 50.4 percent of votes to 49.6 percent for Theriault, a former NASCAR driver endorsed by former President Donald Trump, when the Bangor Daily News and its national partner, Decision Desk HQ, called the race at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday. 

The result was only settled after military and overseas ballots — the last ones to be counted — came in heavily in favor of Golden. It served as another reminder of his durability as one of the few Democrats representing districts friendly to Trump, who won the 2nd District by 8 percentage points en route to capturing the White House in a romp.

To do it, Golden had to convince a sliver of Republicans to keep his seat. The result showed that he was successful in doing so, contrasting with a horrible night for national Democrats. Republicans won the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and they had a 92 percent chance of keeping control of the House as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to Decision Desk HQ.

During a Wednesday news conference in his home city of Lewiston, Golden complimented Theriault as a “fierce competitor” and thanked his constituents.

“I want you to know that I am going to continue on with this work for the next two years with everything that I have to give to deliver results for you and your family,” he said.

It was the toughest reelection fight yet for Golden, 42, who frustrated voters on both the right and left during the campaign by saying he would not vote for Trump but was “OK” with the Republican winning while refusing to say if he would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee who replaced President Joe Biden on the ticket this summer.

Theriault’s campaign issued a statement after the race was called on Wednesday that noted the race falls well within the 1.5-percentage-point difference that triggers a state-funded recount. There are no automatic recounts in Maine, so the campaign must request one.

“This race still remains too close to call,” Theriault’s campaign said.

Theriault, 30, who was backed by national Republicans, criticized Golden over his decision last October to no longer oppose an assault-style weapons ban following a mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston. Theriault and Republican allies also claimed Golden was in lockstep with Democrats and President Joe Biden’s administration on issues such as border security.

In reality, Golden voted against Biden’s policies more than any other House Democrat in 2023 and mentioned his work with the Trump administration in ads that touched on his advocacy for veterans or efforts to fight regulations opposed by Maine’s lobstermen.

The 2nd District contest was one of the biggest congressional races in the country, with outside groups spending around $25 million to try to influence voters as polling ahead of Tuesday indicated the contest was tight. Golden’s victory gives Democrats hope as they sought to chip away at the GOP’s slim House majority that stood at 220-212 ahead of Tuesday.

Golden pointed to his independent streak and bipartisanship during the campaign, and voters in cities such as Bangor and smaller towns throughout the rural district mentioned that Tuesday. Even if not agreeing with Golden on various issues, voters pointed to abortion rights and health care in explaining why they supported him over Theriault.

At the polls in Milford on Tuesday, Stephanie Lombardo, 42, embodied the ticket-splitting phenomenon that clinched the election for Golden. She supported Golden while also supporting state Rep. Gary Drinkwater, a Republican from her town.

“[Golden] thinks of what’s best for us and not just what’s best for [his party],” Lombardo said.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate known for defying party orthodoxy, was defending his seat in Congress against Austin Theriault, a stock car driver and Republican state lawmaker, but the race was too early to call Wednesday morning.

The matchup between Golden and Theriault is one of a handful of pivotal races with a chance to influence control of the U.S. House of Representatives during a competitive election year. It played out in the largest congressional district by area on the East Coast, a largely rural part of Maine where former President Donald Trump has proven very popular with voters.

Early Wednesday, the two were in a tight race with much of the vote yet to be counted.

Golden is a former Marine who is in his third term representing the 2nd Congressional District, which is typically described as a swing district. The district covers a vast part of Maine that includes a handful of small cities but is perhaps best known as the home of traditional northern New England industries such as lobster fishing and logging.

During the campaign, Golden touted his ability to work with members of either political party along with his advocacy on behalf of the lobster industry, which is the lifeblood of the region’s economy.

“I’ve been one of the most independent minded members of Congress, one of the most bipartisan,” Golden said during an October debate, in which he added that he voted against President Joe Biden “more than any other Democrat in the House of Representatives.”

Theriault, who was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2022, spent much of the campaign portraying Golden as too liberal for the district. Although Theriault had the backing of Trump, he also attempted to portray himself as a potential uniter during a divided time in Washington.

“We need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” Theriault said during the October debate. “I’m somebody that can go down there and get the job done. I want to advocate for everybody.”

Golden was first elected to Congress in 2018, when he needed a ranked choice voting count to defeat Republican incumbent Rep Bruce Poliquin. Golden has since been reelected twice, including defeating Poliquin without the need for a ranked count in 2022.

Golden’s victory in 2018 was the first time a member of Congress was elected via ranked choice voting. The voting method seemed unlikely to play a role in this year’s election because there was no third party candidate on the ballot, though write-in candidates were still possible.

Golden has held onto his seat despite Trump dominating the district in recent presidential elections. Maine is one of two states to apportion electoral votes by congressional district — Nebraska is the other — and Trump has twice won his sole New England electoral vote in Maine’s 2nd District.

Maine’s other electoral votes — two for the statewide vote and one of the 1st Congressional District — have gone to the Democratic candidate because the deep blue 1st District is based around Portland, the largest city in the state and a liberal stronghold. Golden ran campaign ads during the race about his willingness to work with Trump for the good of the 2nd District.

In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree sought her ninth term against Republican challenger Ron Russell and independent Ethan Alcorn.

In Maine’s Senate race, incumbent Angus King, and independent, was ahead in his bid for a third term, but with much of the vote still to be counted, it was unclear whether ranked voting would be needed to decide the four-way contest.

A candidate must receive a majority of votes under Maine’s ranked voting. If not, an extra voting round means a winner won’t be formally declared for a week under the system that allows voters to rank candidates in order on the ballot. Under the system, the last-place candidate is eliminated, those voters’ second-choices are applied, and votes are reallocated.

King, who was first elected to the Senate in 2012, said he can help bridge the gap in an increasingly divided Washington, expressing worry that “we’re losing the middle in the Senate.”

“I think I have a role to play to bridge the divide, to listen to people, to bring people together and to compromise to solve these difficult issues,” he said when he launched his reelection bid.

King was challenged by Republican Demi Kouzounas, a former GOP state chair, dentist and U.S. Army veteran, and Democrat David Costello, a former senior government official who led the Maryland Department of the Environment and the climate and clean energy program at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Also in the race was another independent, Jason Cherry.

The 80-year-old former governor would be the oldest senator in state history if he completes the term ending in 2030, but he was not dogged during the campaign by questions about his age like President Joseph Biden was before stepping down as the Democratic presidential nominee.

King has survived a pair of cancer scares. He was treated for malignant melanoma — a skin cancer — at 29 and had surgery for prostate cancer in 2015.

In Washington, he is part of an increasingly small number of senators in the middle with the departure of Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.

King has long said he doesn’t want to be tied to any party, though he caucuses with Democrats, and that served him well in a state where independents used to represent the largest voting bloc. But both major parties have overtaken unenrolled voters in sheer numbers in recent years.

Like so many other people, it was the presidential race that brought Randy Wyman to the polls Tuesday.

But the 65-year-old Madison man said he was still undecided as he came in to vote around 11:15 a.m. at the former Old Point Avenue school. Wyman said he was “pretty sure” but had not yet made up his mind.

“I’m going to make my decision when I get in the booth,” he said.

As voters across Maine and the nation cast Election Day ballots Tuesday, uncertainty loomed over the outcome of the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Clerks in towns big and small said they were expecting record-high voter turnout. High rates of absentee voting and same-day voter registrations have driven up vote totals throughout Maine.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, speaking from a Bangor polling station Tuesday night, said more than 1 in 3 registered Maine voters had already voted prior to Election Day and “today we are seeing strong voter turnout everywhere” and “strong same-day voter registration.”

“One gentleman was registering his daughter for the first time and had tears in his eyes at her opportunity to participate in democracy,” Bellows said.

In fact, the volume of ballots was so great in Belgrade that the ballot counter malfunctioned, Town Clerk Mary Vogel said.

“The ballots are filling up on the inside of the machine and causing problems. The ballots are not dropping when they are inserted into the machine,” Vogel said. “In hindsight, maybe we should have another machine, but who knew it would be like this? We didn’t expect it.”

Officials did get help from some Messalonskee High School students who volunteered at the polls.

Since the students are under 18, they can’t handle the ballots, but they are able to direct voters through the polling center at Belgrade’s Center for All Seasons and help them register to vote, all while earning college credit.

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

In Waterville, Heidi Mitchell walked out of the polling place at Thomas College just after 7 a.m., having been one of the first people to vote.

“I voted for Kamala because I want somebody to work for us, the people of America, not the corporate America,” said Mitchell, 53.

Longtime election warden Roland Hallee said officials were expecting a voter turnout of about 80% of the approximate 10,000 registered Waterville voters, which is more than the typical 70% for a presidential election. He said 3,700 had voted by absentee ballot.

Moriah Davis, 26, and her 1-year-old daughter, Penelope, exit the Waterville polls at Thomas College just after 7 a.m. Tuesday. Amy Calder/ Morning Sentinel

Moriah Davis, 26, was carrying her 1-year-old daughter, Penelope, as she exited the polls.

“I voted for Harris,” she said. “First of all, I love all of her policies. She’s not racist or xenophobic.”

Already by around 8 a.m. in Oakland, 163 out of 5,053 registered voters had cast ballots at the fire station and about 2,000 had voted absentee, according to Town Clerk Jan Porter.

Richard Principato, 58, leaving the polls, said he voted for Trump.

“The biggest thing is the economy, the immigration and our military,” Principato said.

Principato said he also voted for Austin Theriault, the Republican challenging incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. “Jared Golden, he always voted Democratically all the way,” he said.

A steady stream of voters trekked in and out of the James H. Bean School in Sidney on Tuesday morning, where 185 people had cast ballots by 9:15 a.m.

Haileigh Miller, 19, voting for the first time, at left, stands with her mother, Melissa Moulton, at the James H. Bean School in Sidney after voting Tuesday. Both said they voted for Donald Trump for president. Amy Calder/Morning Sentinel

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First-time voter Haileigh Miller, 19, received applause as she registered. Later, she said she voted for Donald Trump.

“He aligns with my morals,” Miller said. “He’s the best candidate. Going into my 20s, I’m starting to become an adult. Hopefully, I’ll be able to live on my own. Right now, I can’t afford to.”

Sidney Town Clerk Sara Morey said that as of Monday night, 1,604 voters had returned absentee ballots, out of 3,919 registered voters.

“To put it in perspective, we had less than 400 total voters for the (June) primary,” she said.

As polls opened at 7 a.m. in the town of China, a line of about 50 voters formed to get into the municipal portable building. Town Manager Becky Hapgood, wearing a fluorescent vest, helped direct traffic.

“The amount of work the town clerk and deputy clerks put in, in the course of preparing for an election, is phenomenal,” Hapgood said. “We’re focused on voter integrity. We just want people to come vote.”

In Gardiner, about 80 people were lined up waiting to vote when the polls opened at 8 a.m., including Peggy Williams, who was first in line.

Williams works in Portland and wanted to make sure she voted before heading to work, because she wasn’t sure she’d be back in Gardiner in time. She said voting is an important part of our freedoms. She said she planned to vote for Harris “to protect our country from tyranny.”



Next in line behind her was Kevin May who also came in around 7:30 a.m. to vote before going to work at the shipyard in Kittery. He, too, said he planned to vote for Harris, in part because he has two nieces and he’s concerned about abortion rights if Trump were to win.

Just behind May, third in line, Pete Hersom said he was voting for Trump because, he said, Democrats have damaged the country and the economy.

In Gardiner, several voters brought their children into the polls with them to vote.

Adam Lemire carried 3-month-old Hazel in his arms as he made his way through long lines, while his partner, Rachael Thomas, carried 3-year-old Reid on her shoulders.

“It’s kind of hard to explain to a 3-year-old what voting is, but he asked, so we talked about it,” Lemire said. “He’s getting it. We were driving by the State House and he got excited … That’s where the people go that we vote for.”

The line of voters stretches out of the building just before doors open at 8 a.m. Tuesday at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

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In Gardiner, 38% of registered voters voted absentee, the most City Clerk Kathy Cutler has seen in the 17 years she’s been working elections in the city.

Turnout was strong Tuesday, as well, with a line of about 80 people queued up to vote by the time the polls opened.

“It’s an honor to do this — this morning swearing people in I had a lump in my throat,” Cutler said. “This is our democracy in action.”

‘UNPRECEDENTED TURNOUT’

Voting was also heavy Tuesday morning in Madison, Town Clerk Cheyenne Stevens said. Her office issued 1,007 absentee ballots, and had received all but 28 back as of Tuesday around noon. Another 500 or so registered voters had cast ballots by that time, including Lori Knowlton.

Knowlton, 61, said she was voting for Trump. She said she did not vote in the 2016 presidential election and voted for President Biden in 2020.

“I don’t love his personality or how he can be condescending and rude sometimes,” Knowlton said of Trump. “But I think about how the country was when he was the president. Our life and our household was all much better. And I also think that, as a country, we are much safer in the world when he’s president.”

At Mill Stream Elementary School in Norridgewock around noon, kids were at recess playing on the playground while voting took place in the auditorium.

Officials had discussed closing the school — the town’s usual polling place — for Election Day but decided against it. Instead, the school resource officer and an additional Somerset County sheriff’s deputy were assigned to the school during the day.

Town Manager Richard LaBelle, who also is the town clerk, said he was aware of reported threats made to other schools in Maine today but was confident in the safety measures in Norridgewock. Turnout has been steady, and most voters have quickly and quietly made their way in and out to vote, LaBelle said.

The biggest challenge of the day so far, LaBelle said, has been confusion around the ranked-choice voting system in the presidential and congressional elections.

“We are spoiling an unusually large number of ballots,” LaBelle said. “I don’t know if people are trying to be strategic, or largely they just don’t understand. But it remains an obstacle.”

Voting was heavy at the Monmouth Recreation Center as well.

“It’s an unprecedented turnout,” said Kent Ackley, an independent running for state representative, as he stood outside the polls.

“I’ve never seen this many people show up to be heard,” he said.

Sarah Jones, Monmouth’s election clerk, holds the registrations of around 70 new voters. Emily Duggan/Kennebec Journal

Sarah Jones, the election clerk for Monmouth, said at least 70 residents registered to vote for the first time by noon.

“This is by far the most (registered voters) that I’ve seen. They all realize it’s important,” Jones said.

Among the newly registered votes was Hannah Demello, 20.

“I wanted to vote for Trump,” she said. “I agree with a lot of the things he wants to change in the government, including lowering taxes.”

Polls were busy first thing in the morning in Augusta, and steady throughout the day, despite the fact that nearly 45% of active registered voters cast their votes absentee.

By midday the number of voters coming in waned, though it was expected to pick back up in the evening, when residents get out of work and go vote.

Bobby-Jo Bechard, a candidate for an at-large Augusta City Council seat, said this election is so important her three adult sons each voted for the first time.

“I’m sure part of it was I’m running for office, and they see how passionate I am about it, but I also think they realized this is a very important election, and that every vote does matter,” Bechard said.

Kathryn Mastricolo, a volunteer with Marcus Emerson’s campaign for Legislature, said most voters Tuesday seemed friendly and upbeat, in contrast to some national media reports she’s seen about the contentious election.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS

Kristin Parks, town clerk in Readfield, said turnout was good Tuesday, and she also issued some 800 absentee ballots before the election. The town has around 2,440 registered voters.

After an afternoon lull, the line to vote at the Skowhegan municipal building started to grow around 4 p.m. Town Clerk Gail Pelotte said she was expecting an afternoon rush to end around 4:30 p.m. following a busy morning with a steady line.

As of about 3:30 p.m., a total of 3,200 ballots had been cast in Skowhegan, including 1,900 absentee ballots, according to Pelotte. The town had just over 5,000 registered voters as of June.

“For like the first two hours, there was no stop,” Pelotte said. “We had to take one of our books and divide it in two.”

The wait to register was long too.

Megan Ellis, 37, was waiting in the hallway for her daughter’s boyfriend to register to vote. She was not sure why some people wait until Election Day, but took it as a good sign.

“At least that means there’s a lot of people taking interest,” Ellis said.

Pelotte said voters coming in throughout the day have been polite and happy. “It’s pretty heartwarming,” she said. “All of the horror stories we thought we were going to see — it’s been awesome.”

Colby College student Mariella Laria, 19, of Massachusetts was among those who took a minibus to the polls Tuesday to vote. Mairead Levitt/Morning Sentinel

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Tuesday afternoon, a white minibus pulled up outside Thomas College, shuttling students from nearby Colby College to cast their votes in Waterville.

Many of the students cited reproductive rights as a deciding factor in the presidential race. Mariella Laria, 19, of Massachusetts said she was voting for Harris because of her policies on abortion rights as well as her general character.

“I think she is a good person,“ Laria said. “Also, the rule of law — I don’t think we should have a felon as a president.”

Colby College student Connor Ransom, 21, of Poolsville, Maryland is shown volunteering Tuesday at the Waterville polls. Mairead Levitt/Morning Sentinel

Another Colby student — Connor Ransom, 21, of Poolsville, Maryland — was volunteering in Waterville to help make sure the polls run smoothly.

“Most people who volunteer are retired,“ Ransom said, “so it’s helpful to have young people who are more energetic and can move heavy things like voting machines around.”

Ransom pointed out that a lot of races, especially the local ones, can be decided by a few votes.

“People forget how important voting in local elections is,“ he said. “They can come down to less than a 100-vote difference.“

Amy Calder, Emily Duggan, Keith Edwards, Jake Freudberg, Hannah Kaufman, Mairead Levitt and Scott Monroe contributed reporting. 

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