LEWISTON, Maine — Jared Golden will serve another two years as Congressman for Maine's second district. With nearly 91% of 2nd district precincts reporting on Wednesday afternoon, Golden led Republican challenger Dale Crafts in the polls by a margin of 53% to 47%. Golden maintained that steady lead throughout most of election night.
In a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Golden declared victory at his campaign headquarters in Lewiston.
"Dale Crafts gave me a call earlier today and congratulated me on winning reelection," Golden said. "I thanked him for his past service to the people of Maine as a representative in the Maine Legislature."
"We did something special in this campaign. We ran on a positive message. We didn't do it alone either but, instead, we invited my constituents to help deliver that positive message," he added. "We showed that voters are hungry for a positive tone, positive leadership, and civility in our public space."
Golden said he hasn't been perfect but that he's tried to deliver the kind of leadership Mainers tell him they want. He also said that now more than ever, people want elected officials to set aside their differences and stand together to face the various challenges of our times.
Crafts released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
“Running for Congress in Maine's Second Congressional district has been an amazing experience. For the past 15 months, I've enjoyed traveling over 50k miles, crisscrossing the state from Lewiston to Lubec, Fort Kent to Farmington, Brooks to Brewer. I have witnessed firsthand the resiliency that all Mainers have, the struggles they wade in, and the difficult times that they always seem to overcome. Maine is filled with some of the hardest working, honest, innovative, and thoughtful people I have ever met and I am honored to have this opportunity.
I congratulated Jared this morning and told him that I'd be praying for him, our state and our nation’s future. My biggest hope is that we can all come together at the end of this election season and remember that we are all Americans and when united, we are strong. We all should strive to do the right thing, and not seek politically motivated opportunity, because in the end, we are a nation of small communities of family, friends and neighbors knit together as one.
Thank you Maine!"
Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra released the following statement in response to Golden's reelection:
“Congressman Jared Golden’s record in Congress is clear: he’s an independent voice for the people of Maine’s Second District, and knows how to get things done. From working to improve health care for veterans to fighting for small businesses hurt by the pandemic to supporting lobstermen on our coast and shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works, Congressman Golden has put service to his constituents above all else. There’s no better representative of the values Mainers hold dear than Congressman Golden, and we couldn’t be more thrilled that voters have put their trust in him again."
Golden, 38, was born in Lewiston and grew up in Leeds.
After enlisting as an infantryman in the Marines, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan before returning home to Maine to attend Bates College, where he studied history and politics.
Golden's first job in politics was in 2011 when he worked for Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican. He was then elected as a Democrat to represent Lewiston in the Maine House of Representatives in 2014. In 2016, he was chosen by his peers to serve as the Democratic Assistant Majority Leader.
In 2018, Golden defeated incumbent Republican Congressman Bruce Poliquin in a race decided by ranked-choice voting. It was the first time in U.S. history that the process was used to decide a congressional election.
Golden lives in Lewiston with his wife, Isobel Moiles.
RELATED: 2020 Maine Election results