Maine’s Democratic primary tilts as Republicans back Dunlap

Matthew Dunlap is projected to win Maine’s Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden, setting up a November general election against former Gov. Paul LePage. The race has drawn unusual Republican involvement—through a $300,000 super PAC effort—w

On the night Maine voters turned out for a Democratic primary with a national political scoreboard attached, the shock wasn’t that Matthew Dunlap had support.

It was that Republicans helped pay for it.

Dunlap. the state auditor. is now the projected winner of the Democratic primary in Maine’s second district—an open seat created by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. The winner will face former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, in November’s general election. The district voted for President Donald Trump by a nine-point margin in 2024. a number that hangs over every campaign decision in the race.

For Democrats, the stakes are bigger than the contest itself. One prominent analyst has said Golden’s retirement gives Republicans a chance to capture the seat. The House race has drawn less attention than the Senate contest between Democrat Graham Platner and Republican Sussan Collins. But holding Golden’s seat could be key to Democrats keeping control of the House of Representatives.

Yet inside the Democratic coalition, Dunlap’s path was never fully embraced.

National Democrats didn’t want him to win the primary. They backed Joe Baldacci, a member of the Maine Senate, over Dunlap, Jordan Wood, and Paige Loud. In a recent poll, Dunlap trailed Baldacci by about five percentage points.

Then came the outside money—an unusual signal to Maine voters and to party operatives watching for who can be weakened for the general election. A shadowy super PAC aligned with Republicans spent $300,000 to boost Dunlap and oppose Baldacci. The spending is widely read as part of a strategy to elevate the Republican-backed prospect that party operatives consider weaker against LePage.

Dunlap’s political profile also carries clear progressive commitments. He supports Medicare for All, and he has won an endorsement from Rep. Ro Khanna, a leading progressive in Congress.

LePage, meanwhile, is familiar to voters and to national political memory. He served as governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. During his tenure, he pursued crackdowns on welfare fraud, including proposals to make program beneficiaries pass drug tests. His political style is defined by confrontational. high-heat rhetoric—he was notorious for making outrageous. Trump-style statements. such as an incorrect claim in 2016 that 90% of drug dealers arrested in Maine were Black or Hispanic.

The contrast between what Republicans say they want and what Democrats fear they can lose traces back to Golden himself.

Golden announced his retirement last year, partly because of political violence and fears for his family’s safety. He later repeated a pattern of voting that frustrated party leaders: he has repeatedly bucked his party and voted with Republicans. When Golden announced he was stepping away. it landed like a break in a long-established political rhythm—one that Democrats had relied on to hold the seat.

Golden’s departure also reshaped how quickly parties moved in the primary. Dunlap announced he would challenge Golden in the Democratic primary. Golden, in response, said he wouldn’t seek another term not long after Dunlap’s challenge, criticizing his voting record.

Earlier this year, Golden told HuffPost he didn’t want to make endorsements as he prepares to leave public life.

“I think people in Maine are going to make a good choice,” Golden said.

Maine Democratic primary Matthew Dunlap Jared Golden Paul LePage Ro Khanna Medicare for All Joe Baldacci Sussan Collins Graham Platner Jordan Wood Paige Loud super PAC