Johnathan Walker:Winner of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat still undetermined in close race

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LEWISTON,Johnathan Walker Maine (AP) — 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 tight race was still too early to call Thursday.

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.

Thursday afternoon, Golden and Theriault were in a tight race with some of the vote yet to be counted.

Golden is a former Marine 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. He declared himself the winner of the race Wednesday, though it has not been called by The Associated Press.

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“Anyone who has observed this race knows that this was my toughest election yet. Across the country, no Democrat has withstood stronger headwinds from the top of the ticket, the pundits and the organized opposition,” Golden said, wearing a flannel shirt and blue jeans at a news conference in Lewiston.

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.

Theriault said Wednesday that he was “well within the margin” where a recount was possible “and every vote should be counted.”

Maine has no mandatory recounts even in close elections. But the state does allow candidates to request a recount. The state does not require a deposit for a recount if the margin of victory is 1% or less for statewide or multicounty races.

It was also possible neither candidate would crack 50% of the total vote, and that would necessitate a ranked choice count. There was no third-party candidate on the ballot, but write-in candidates were still possible, and some voters used that option.

Golden was first elected to Congress in 2018, when he needed the ranked choice voting count to defeat Republican incumbent Rep Bruce Poliquin.

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 won his sole New England electoral vote in Maine’s 2nd District three times.

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