A national super PAC for House Democrats is pouring more than $8 million into Maine in hopes of holding onto Rep. Jared Golden’s 2nd Congressional District seat.

House Majority PAC, which is affiliated with House Democratic leadership, said Thursday morning that its initial round of television and digital ad reservations will include $2.72 million in the Bangor media market, $4.73 million in the Portland market and $780,000 in the Presque Isle market.

That is part of $272 million it is spending across 68 markets in numerous states, which it said is its largest-ever early investment in campaign ads.

The influx of cash will seek to help the party’s primary candidates, and put former Gov. Paul LePage, the 2nd District nominee for Republicans, on the defensive. The spending is geared toward the fall, and is exclusively aimed at the 2nd District.

“HMP’s historic television and digital ad reservations reflect that Democrats are firmly on offense heading into November,” House Majority PAC President Mike Smith said in a statement. “While Democrats are expanding the map nationwide, House Republicans are losing ground after failing to lower costs, making health care more expensive, and dragging us into another costly and unpopular foreign war.”

House Republicans are spending big, too. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Super PAC aligned with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, is putting $5.3 million toward the effort to flip the district red, Punchbowl News reported.

Golden, a moderate, has held the swing district since 2018, but it has also backed President Donald Trump in each of his three presidential elections. Golden cited increasing political incivility and threats against his family in announcing last November his plans to not seek reelection.

Both parties view the 2nd District race as crucial to determining control of Congress come November, as the GOP’s advantage in the House is very thin after resignations and deaths of sitting members.

Republicans are confident in LePage’s chances of retaking the district they last held when Rep. Bruce Poliquin served two terms before Golden unseated him. GOP-affiliated groups have already spent about $1.5 million on the 2nd District race, per the ad tracking site AdImpact, and more money is all but certain to come in to support LePage.

State Auditor Matt Dunlap, state Sen. Joe Baldacci of Bangor, ex-Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood and University of Maine graduate student Paige Loud are competing in the Democratic primary in the 2nd District.

In the 1st District that covers Maine’s southern half, Rep. Chellie Pingree, a progressive, is awaiting the winner of the Republican primary in June, but is expected to easily hold onto the seat she has held since 2009.