Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), a moderate Democrat who previously said former President Trump is going to win the election, would not commit Thursday to voting for Vice President Harris.
“I expect to have to work to earn Mainers’ votes and our candidates for president should expect the same,” Golden said in a Wednesday statement. “Kamala Harris has been a candidate for president for less than a week and I look forward to learning more what kind of leader she would be.”
After President Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris, many Democrats jumped to support her. Golden, however, said he wants to hear more from her and what she plans to do if elected.
“My hope is that she leans into her record as an attorney general and prosecutor and affirms her commitment to public safety and the rule of law — from going after the white-collar criminal who rip off the working class to securing our border and stopping the flow of deadly fentanyl into our communities,” Golden said.
Harris has not officially won the Democratic nomination, though she has secured enough support from delegates to lead the ticket with about three weeks until the Democratic National Convention.
Golden, who has held his seat in the House since 2019, previously wrote a piece published in the Bangor Daily News headlined, “Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine,” as a response to the outcry of concern about Biden’s candidacy.
Before Biden ended his bid, a growing number of congressional Democrats were asking for the president to step aside and allow someone else to take on Trump in this election.
In his op-ed, Golden disagreed with Democrats who say democracy would be threatened by another Trump term, and said such warnings ignore the strength of the 250-year-old nation.
Still, even as Democrats are energized by Harris’s campaign, Golden said he isn’t so sure support should be handed to the vice president. He told Axios he will “absolutely not” commit to voting for her at this time.
“I am curious to know her plans to lower costs for Mainers, protect Social Security and Medicare, safeguard our children’s future and prosperity and maintain America’s leadership on the world stage,” Golden said in his statement. “Our choice in leaders should never be a knee-jerk decision driven solely by party loyalty.”
