Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday he's running for Congress in the state's 2nd District, aiming to unseat Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. LePage, a Republican who led Maine from 2011 to 2019 and unsuccessfully ran for governor again in 2022, filed his campaign papers Sunday. The district, seen as a battleground, has supported both Golden—now in his fourth term—but also President Trump in all three of the last presidential elections.
At 76, LePage, who the AP refers to as "polarizing," is known for his blunt political style and controversial comments (he once said a political rival would "give it to the people without providing Vaseline," and he told the NAACP to "kiss my butt" when the organization was upset he declined to attend an MLK Jr. event). Though he downplayed ties to Trump in his last gubernatorial campaign, LePage was an early Trump supporter and once called himself "Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular." His Monday statement backed the president and pledged to oppose "extreme woke policies," defend gun rights, and focus on job growth.
Golden, 42, has not formally launched his next campaign. He says his attention is on supporting Maine's fishing industry, resisting GOP-backed health care cuts, and securing shipyard jobs. Responding to LePage's bid, Golden said, "I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement." Golden has stuck mostly to the center in an attempt to hold on to his seat, and did not endorse Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
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After his 2019 exit from the governor's office, LePage initially moved to Florida before returning to Maine. Had he won in 2022, he would have set a record as Maine's longest-serving governor. Political analysts expect Maine's 2nd District to be a closely watched House race for 2026. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the US House, and Golden narrowly retained his seat against Republican Austin Theriault in the last election. Politico reports he won by less than a point. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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