Louis Sigel says he “worked hard” to get Rep. Jared Golden elected to Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in 2014. Now, the former secretary of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee is challenging Golden for his seat.

Sigel, 81, of Gardiner, has filed with the Federal Election Commission to take on Golden in the 2026 Democratic primary.

“I’m very disappointed in his voting record, especially since his reelection,” Sigel said in a phone interview Wednesday. “He’s a Democrat, but has voted with the Republicans too many times.”

Sigel, originally from Elmira, New York, says he graduated from Yale University and also studied Chinese history at Harvard. Additionally, he is a former fundraiser and volunteer coordinator at Maine Clean Elections and unsuccessfully ran for the Maine State Senate in 2014.

Sigel added that he has worked in economics for 20 years, including a stint teaching at the University of Toronto, and he disagrees heavily with Golden and President Donald Trump’s position on tariffs.

“I believe in free trade, especially with our neighbors in Canada and Mexico,” he said.

Access to health care is another priority that has taken shape for Sigel during his travels to Canada, Australia and England. International collaboration is another key, Sigel said, citing organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“America first — on a single-minded, ignorant basis — is totally wrong,” he said.

He attacked Trump and Golden’s positions on the bombing of Iran, saying, “that’s not how you get somebody to the negotiating table.”

Sigel said that last time Golden ran, he was “the best of two evils.” This time around, Sigel hopes to be “a positive alternative.”

When asked his thoughts on being the underdog in a campaign against Golden, Sigel said he has been encouraged by people’s reactions to his candidacy.

“Every time I tell people that I’m going to primary (Golden), people are smiling,” he said. “People don’t like voting for him, and now they won’t have to.”