State auditor and former secretary of state Matthew Dunlap formally launched his campaign Monday to challenge Rep. Jared Golden for the Democratic nomination.

Golden, who has held Maine’s 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, has not faced a primary opponent since his first election.

Dunlap, 60, of Old Town, said he was compelled to run — despite objections from party leaders — because he’s heard from people in the district who are upset with Golden’s history of voting with Republicans and his lack of public appearances.

“A big part of the job is standing with people, meeting with them, listening to them and making them feel like they matter,” he said. “I have earned a reputation as someone who is available and accessible.”

Dunlap, who served in the Maine House from 1996 to 2004, has been considering a run since May He plans to focus on health care, affordability and protecting Democracy on the campaign trail, and plans to keep his post as state auditor.

Golden, 43, of Lewiston, will face his first primary since winning the seat in 2018 and it comes after he has repeatedly angered Democrats by siding with Republicans, including his support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Last week, Golden was the only House Democrat to support the Republican stopgap funding bill to keep government open, while his party angles for concessions on health care.

Golden took a step further last week, blaming the shutdown on the “hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.”

He has argued that Democrats should avoid a shutdown and work on a bipartisan basis to extend the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of the year.

Dunlap says that approach won’t work, because Republicans are “entrenched in slashing these benefits.”

“I don’t think Republicans have any incentive to negotiate with Jared Golden,” he said. “He’s the one (House) Democrat who is voting with them on this. They’ve put up a former governor to oppose him. Why would they help him broker an agreement?”

Golden also supported the Republican SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and infamously predicted in an Op-Ed last year that Trump would win the election and that he was “OK with that.”

“A lot of us weren’t OK with that and still aren’t,” Dunlap said. “What’s happening in Washington right now I think people find very, very scary and unsettling. They want somebody to stand up for them and I think I’m that guy.”

Even without a primary challenge, Golden was facing a tough reelection battle in 2026.

Former Gov. Paul LePage does not currently have a primary challenger for the Republican nomination and has a strong base of support in the more rural, conservative 2nd District. The Maine Republican Party responded to Dunlap’s announcement by saying it doesn’t matter who the Democratic nominee is, “LePage will be the next congressman from ME-02.”

Dunlap said he’s been discouraged from running by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and those close to Golden, citing concern that a primary would weaken the incumbent.

The DCCC issued a statement earlier this year saying Golden “has proven he is uniquely suited to win tough races.”

Golden’s campaign manager, Jordan Kathleen Burns, dismissed Dunlap’s challenge in a statement Monday.

“The Golden for Congress campaign’s first expenditure in this nascent primary will be to send Matt Dunlap a map of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, since he clearly is confused about who he is running to represent,” Burns said.

Dunlap, however, said he’s been encouraged by voters who want to see a primary challenge. And he’s not worried it will help Republicans, who have been touting the prospects of Dunlap’s candidacy since he began exploring a possible run in May.

“I’m pretty confident I can win the election,” he said. “You should really earn the support of the voters. If that means answering for your record and your positions, then you shouldn’t worry about that. If people agree with what you’ve done, you’re pretty ironclad. But if they’re concerned and want change, they deserve a chance to make that change.”