A Maine Democrat who represents the state’s competitive House district has joined Republicans in criticizing the secretary of state’s decision to
remove former President Donald Trump from Maine’s ballot.
“I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th Insurrection. I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States,” Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said in a statement posted to social media shortly after the ruling Thursday night. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.”
It’s not the first time Golden, a Blue Dog Democrat who represents a district Trump won in the 2016 and 2020 elections, has bucked his party. Since he was elected in 2018, Golden has been one of the few House Democrats to support gun rights. He was also the sole Democrat to vote against President Joe Biden’s signature Build Back Better infrastructure package and has regularly voted against other marquee pieces of legislation, such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.