President Trump used Twitter on Thursday to express his “full endorsement” of Maine’s 2nd District Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin.
The president called Poliquin “a great congressman” in a late-afternoon statement on the social media site.
“He is in a tough fight against a very liberal Nancy Pelosi Democrat,” Trump said, referring to Lewiston state Rep. Jared Golden, the Democratic contender in the race.
Poliquin said in response, “I appreciate the support of the president and voters of all parties who back my efforts to create jobs and grow the economy of rural Maine.”
Golden said he “won’t hold this endorsement against Donald Trump when I’m in Congress.”
“I’m ready to work with the president when it’s good for the people of Maine,” Golden said. “When it’s not, I’m ready to stand up to him.”
The two independents in the race – Tiffany Bond and Will Hoar – have yet commented on Trump’s endorsement.
.@BrucePoliquin from Maine is a great Congressman. He is in a tough fight against a very liberal Nancy Pelosi Democrat. Bruce has helped bring JOBS back to his State and totally protects your Great Second Amendment. We need to keep Bruce in Washington. He has my Full Endorsement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018
Polls show Poliquin, an Oakland resident and former Wall Street executive first elected in 2014, is locked in a close race with Golden, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two combat tours. It is generally rated a toss-up by political insiders.
Poliquin has maintained a distance from Trump. He refused to back Trump in the 2016 presidential race and as recently as last week declined to say whether he had voted for Trump.
But he has backed the president’s agenda in the U.S. House on many votes, including a contentious 2017 measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Golden has repeatedly said he is not a supporter of Pelosi, the California Democrat who serves as her party’s leader in the House. He said he won’t back her efforts to become speaker if the Democrats win control of the House in the Nov. 6 election.
Trump won Maine’s 2nd District in 2016, collecting his only electoral vote in New England as a result.
A New York Times Upshot/ Siena College poll this month found the district is sharply split on Trump, with 47 percent of voters holding a favorable view of the president and the same number viewing him unfavorably. Poliquin’s favorability rating was slightly less.
Golden said months ago that he anticipated Trump would eventually endorse his Republican opponent. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if the president came to Maine for a rally as well, though there is no evidence one is in the works.
Golden said at the time that he planned to continue to make his case with the voters, insisting that Trump is not the issue in Maine.
scollins@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.