A sitting Democrat just threw a wrench into his own party’s plans to flip the House.
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, a moderate Democrat who has represented his district for eight years, publicly endorsed Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York in a USA TODAY Network op-ed published Monday. The endorsement is a direct blow to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his strategy to reclaim the chamber in November’s midterm elections.
“I strongly back him, and I hope voters send him back to work,” Golden wrote of Lawler. “Wherever you live, find the members who pass laws with the other party, and keep them.”
Golden, who is not seeking re-election, represents a district that President Donald Trump carried in 2024. He has repeatedly broken with his party on major votes, including joining Republicans earlier this month to condemn socialism and casting the sole Democratic vote in April to block a measure restricting Trump’s Iran war powers. That move infuriated the leftist wing of his party.
Now he’s going further, crossing the aisle entirely to back a Republican incumbent in one of the most competitive House races in the country.
What makes Lawler’s support notable, Golden argued, is that there “is not a single lobster boat” in the New York congressman’s Hudson Valley district. Lawler signed onto the legislation anyway to protect what Golden called a “historic American industry” that was “on the line.”
“That is how Congress is supposed to work: members of different parties set aside their disagreements, find a problem that matters to the country and fix it,” Golden wrote. “Mike Lawler has been a true partner to me and a friend to fishing families he will never represent.”
In a statement Monday, Lawler called the endorsement “an honor and a privilege.”
“While we are from different parties and different states, Jared and I have worked during our time together in the House to find common ground on issues that matter both to us and our constituents,” Lawler said. “We share a firm belief that what’s best for the people should come before one’s party, and that if more members on both sides of the aisle took that approach more often, the country would be better off for it.”
Lawler, who sponsored the lobsterman legislation, said it supported America’s fishing communities and protected endangered species without imposing unnecessary burdens on fishermen.
Golden’s endorsement highlights the widening gap between moderate Democrats who represent working-class, Trump-leaning districts and the progressive wing that dominates their party’s leadership. His willingness to back a Republican over a fellow Democrat sends a clear message about where he believes his party has gone wrong.
