Douglas Rooks has been a Maine editor, columnist and reporter for 40 years. The author of four books, his new study of the Ken Curtis administration is due next year. He welcomes comment at [email protected].

Jared Golden is getting a lot of praise for his decision to abandon his reelection campaign for Maine’s 2nd District congressional seat.

It’s hard to see why.

A candidate who claims he’s still sure to win does not usually fold his campaign, especially for the reasons Golden provided in his Bangor Daily News op-ed. He blamed “the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community” — as if the rest of us don’t have to deal with the same thing every day, and somehow keep doing our jobs.

The plain truth is that Golden has been on a downward trajectory since July 2024. With his Democratic Party in crisis over Joe Biden’s debate performance, the president resisting calls to step down and no one knowing how to replace a nominee four months before an election, Golden had the answer — not for his party, but for himself.

In another BDN op-ed back then he accused Democrats of “pearl clutching,” asserting that “the economy, not democracy” would decide the election — exactly what Republicans were campaigning on. So his conclusion naturally followed: “While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”

Why any Democrat would be “OK” with Republicans winning the White House — much less predicting it months in advance — went unexplained, and it did not play well with Golden’s own party. He had been widely expected to run for governor in 2026, but instead announced in May he’d seek reelection. Six months later, he’s quit that race as well.

Golden seems to believe he could “triangulate” his way between the two parties, as Bill Clinton notoriously did, winning reelection as president in 1996 while consigning his party to the congressional minority status it has struggled to escape ever since.

What might work in a presidential race doesn’t work in running for Congress, where Maine has two representatives among 435. Golden’s logic was that, because his district has favored Trump, his survival depended on never criticizing Trump.

Given the disruption caused by a president who fires thousands of tenured workers, launches military strikes on unarmed adversaries and almost daily pardons political allies with criminal records while demanding prosecution of political enemies on baseless grounds, it’s hard to believe Golden couldn’t find something not to like. But he remains silent.

On the rare occasions he volunteered a comment, it was largely the same. When Trump took over command of the D.C. police force for no plausible reason Golden decided the courts could work it out. When Trump tore down the White House East Wing, Golden regretted only that he hadn’t secured the necessary permits.

In short, our 2nd District congressman has made himself a man without a party, neither trusted by Democrats nor respected by Republicans. There could have been a different path.

For the past half century, the 2nd District seat has been a ticket to political advancement. Bill Hathaway used it to upset the legendary Sen. Margaret Chase Smith in 1972. His successor, Bill Cohen, returned the favor by ousting Hathaway in 1978.

In 1994, Olympia Snowe used the 2nd District seat to defeat 1st District Congressman Tom Andrews to gain George Mitchell’s Senate seat. Snowe’s successor, John Baldacci, served four terms, then won the governorship.

Yes, politics in Maine has changed, as partisanship — the unthinking, formulaic kind — has grown; on that we can all agree. But Golden’s “solution” is no solution at all.

Consider the career of Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton, who Golden cited as a model when he first ran in 2018. Moulton, elected at the same age in 2014 is, like Golden, an Iraq War veteran shaped by his experiences there.

This year, Moulton is giving up his seat to mount a primary challenge to Ed Markey, who served 20 terms in the House and is seeking a third Senate term when he’ll be 80. It’s an uphill fight, but Moulton, 47, is willing to try against an incumbent who’s served 50 years.

Another Iraq veteran, Graham Platner, is navigating the currents of the 2nd District, trying to win the Democratic Senate nomination against Susan Collins without any hesitation in opposing Trump. That’s a race Golden, too, could have made with different decisions.

Even on his way out, Golden displayed ill grace. With one line, he dismissed both Paul LePage and Matt Dunlap, who filed as Golden’s first primary challenger.

It’s possible Golden’s style of politics is admired by some voters. But it’s hard to imagine his party will miss him.