U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, left, faces off with Republican Austin Theriault on Wednesday in the final debate in the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Screenshot from video

The last scheduled debate between the two congressional contenders in Maine’s 2nd District delivered few fireworks as it mostly covered familiar ground.

Three-term U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat, sparred on a number of issues with his Republican challenger, state Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, in the third televised debate in the course of a week.

Rep. Jared Golden, left, faced Republican challenger Austin Theriault on Wednesday in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal and Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file photos

In the hourlong debate sponsored by two television stations, WABI in Bangor and WAGM in Presque Isle, the two men swapped charges and countercharges on everything from helping the lobster industry to the national debt.

Theriault argued that bills Golden backed contributed to inflation, while Golden pointed out that gasoline prices were about $5 a gallon when he voted for the Inflation Reduction Act that Theriault opposed. It is now about $3 a gallon, he said.

Golden said that Theriault voted in Augusta against a bill to crack down on companies hiring undocumented immigrants under the table by imposing fines on them. “Austin doesn’t even want to see us throw the book at those types of companies,” Golden said.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Theriault answered. He said he would impose stricter entry requirements and beef up border security.

Asked about gun issues, Theriault said that the killer of 18 people in Lewiston last fall could have had his weapons taken under Maine’s yellow flag law, but “a lot of things” were not done correctly.

“We have a mental health crisis,” Theriault said. “People are slipping through the cracks.”

Golden, who also favors more mental health initiatives, said restricting access to “some of these most dangerous firearms” would save lives while allowing vetted Americans the right to possess them.

Theriault said Golden’s willingness to impose higher standards for possessing some semiautomatic firearms puts him in lockstep with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“That’s just completely crazy,” Golden said. “Everyone knows I’m one of the most conservative Democrats out there when it comes to gun rights.”

“You know who I am,” Golden said.

Both Golden and Theriault said illegal marijuana growing in Maine is often used to launder money. Theriault said law enforcement needs to “go in and bust them.”

Golden’s sprawling district, the most rural in America, is considered among the ones held by a Democrat most vulnerable to a GOP victory in November, but that was also true in 2020 and 2022, when the Republicans failed to unseat the incumbent.

Theriault has strong backing from former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana. He also picked up an endorsement Wednesday from former Gov. Paul LePage, who claimed that Golden has “caught a bad case of the DC disease” by changing his mind on some issues.

Theriault has repeatedly called Golden “a flip-flopper” for weeks, in part because Golden shifted his position on assault weapons after a mass shooting a year ago killed 18 people in his hometown.

Golden, a co-chair of the Blue Dog Caucus, has been the U.S. House member most likely to vote against his own party’s stance on bills that have come to the floor. He has voted in opposition to President Joe Biden’s position more often than he’s supported him.

“Bipartisanship is easy if you believe — like I do — that no one party has a monopoly on smart ideas, sound judgment, or strong values,” Golden said on social media Wednesday.

Theriault, 30, is a former NASCAR driver who never graduated from college, is in his first term as a state representative. Only 5% of U.S. House members lack a college degree, while two-thirds of them hold graduate degrees, according to the Pew Research Center.

Golden, 42, served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine before returning home to earn a degree from Bates College.

Members of the U.S. House serve two-year terms for $174,000 annually.

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but early voting is underway in many towns.