jared golden committee and caucus assignments

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Jared F. Golden

Maine (ME) – 2nd, Democrat

Hometown: Lewiston

Oath of Office: Jan. 07, 2023

Overview & Contact

• Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation
• Seapower and Projection Forces
• Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access
• Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations
• Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains

Recent Votes

Jared Golden   Maine 02 2022 margin: 1.2% In a Trump +6 district  

To jared's campaign, to the fm house slate, • return to the house slate.

"Maine’s 2nd District is the largest district east of the Mississippi River and second most rural district in the nation. It’s also the most conservative district in New England. In fact, with the loss of several Trump-district Democrats in the last election, I now represent the most Republican district of any Democrat in Congress."

​ "… I believe every woman has the right to make her own healthcare decisions. Family planning options, including contraception, should be accessible and affordable to all women, regardless of income or insurance. I also firmly believe that Washington politicians have no business being involved in the private medical choices made between a woman and her healthcare professional."   (jaredgoldenforcongress.com)

BACKGROUND  +  EXPERIENCE Golden served four years as a Marine in Iraq + Afghanistan  + graduated from Bates College in 2011. He returned to Afghanistan as a volunteer teacher, then worked as a staffer for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on the Senate Homeland Security  + Governmental Affairs Committee. When he entered the Maine State House, Golden became assistant majority leader of the chamber.

Rep. Golden was first elected to Congress in 2018 defeating incumbent Bruce Poliquin by 6% in a race decided using Maine’s ranked choice voting system. That made him the first challenger to unseat an incumbent in the district since 2016. In 2020, in a district carried by Trump by +6, Golden defeated Dale Crafts by a margin of 6%. In 2022, he again defeated Poliquin by 6%.

ON THE ISSUES​ Voted in favor of HR 7120- George Floyd Justice in Policing Act 0f 2020 (votesmart.org)

• Strongly pro-choice

• In favor of ending Citizens United “either by a constitutional amendment or by another Supreme Court ruling superseding the previous decision." (jaredgoldenforcongress.com)

• Supports investment in infrastructure including roads, bridges  +  expanding broadband.

• Encourages growth in the renewable energy sector to “reduce electricity costs, lower carbon emissions  + create high-quality, good-paying jobs." (jaredgoldenforcongress.com)​

• Regarding gun control, Golden wants to “strictly enforce the background check system... I will oppose efforts to erode our existing background check system because I know that most Mainers support this system  + want it to work effectively + efficiently." (votesmart.org)​

• Supports improving the Affordable Care Act + a universal healthcare system like Medicare for All.  POLITICS IN MAINE

The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general  +  both chambers of the state legislature. One US Senator is a Republican (Collins) + the other (King), up for re-election in 2024, is an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. 

In the 2022 election cycle, then House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy publicly stated that ME 02 was one of three top targets for Republicans. He actively worked to recruit + finance a challenger to achieve this goal. There is no reason to believe that McCarthy will approach 2024 any differently. No other Democrat has won this district since 2012, including candidates for Senate + Governor. Rep. Golden has stated his winning formula in a conservative district: “I believe the key to winning here is pretty simple: represent the best interests of the entire community even if that means sometimes going against my own party.”​

COMMITTEES  +  CAUCUSES • Armed Services Committee • Small Business Committee • Problem Solvers Caucus • Blue Dog Caucus • Co-chair of For Country Caucus

• Sustainability

Similar but different, Congressmen Ben Cline ’94 and Jared Golden ’11 return for Reunion

By Emily McConville — Published on June 26, 2019

Jared Golden ’11 and Ben Cline ’94 actually have a lot in common. As undergraduates, both felt a bit different from their peers — Golden was older and a Marine veteran, while Cline was a conservative from the South.

Both majored in politics (Golden also majored in history), and both worked on Capitol Hill before being elected to the legislatures of their home states.

Now, they’re both first-term Congressmen from largely rural districts, Golden representing Maine’s sprawling 2nd District, the largest east of the Mississippi River, and Cline serving Virginia’s 6th District, in the northwest part of that state.

For all that’s similar about the pair, one key difference — Golden being a Democrat, and Cline a Republican — made their Reunion appearance in June a must-see.

+ The nine Bates alumni who've served in Congress

Including Ben Cline ’94 and Jared Golden ’11, nine Bates alumni have served in the House of Representatives. (One alumnus, Ed Muskie ’36, has served in the Senate.)

• John P. Swasey, R-Maine , who attended the Maine State Seminary, fought in the Civil War, and then earned a bachelor’s degree at Tufts
• Daniel McGillicuddy, D-Maine, Class of 1881 (transferred to Bowdoin after three years)
• Carroll Beedy , R-Maine, Class of 1903
• Charles Clason , R-Mass., Class of 1911
• Donald Partridge , R-Maine, Class of 1914
• Frank Coffin , D-Maine, Class of 1940
• Bob Goodlatte , R-Va., Class of 1974
• Ben Cline ’94 , R-Va., Class of 1994
• Jared Golden ’11 , D-Maine, Class of 2011

In a Pettengill Hall classroom packed with Reunion attendees, the pair covered a range of topics — at times sounding almost confessional in their frustration with the hyperpartisanship in Washington.

Interviewed by professors John Baughman (politics) and Stephanie Kelley-Romano (rhetoric, film, and screen studies), the two talked about their Bates pasts, about what it was like arriving in Washington during a government shutdown, and how the alignment of powerful — and surprising — forces tends to stymie bipartisanship.

On their first days in Congress — during a government shutdown

When Golden and Cline were sworn in in early January, the federal government was in the middle of a five-week partial government shutdown. There was barely time to get acclimated to the offices and technology, Cline said. “We were voting on day one.”

At left and right, moderators Stephanie Kelley-Romano and John Baughman prepare for their discussion with newly elected Congressmen Ben Cline ’94 of Virginia and Jared Golden ’11 of Maine (second from left and right) on June 8 at Reunion. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

The 116th Congress includes a number of charismatic, media-savvy freshman members comfortable in the national spotlight, and both Golden and Cline frequently referenced Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., during their discussion, with Golden distancing himself from her style of legislating.

“There’s room in every caucus for all kinds, and you need a little bit of every type of leader,” he explained. “Mine is, I think, a more quiet, dogged focus on issues and work, and then getting to the district and traveling around and meeting people face-to-face and making sure they feel a strong connection to their representative.”

Golden and his staff decided, instead of jumping straight into high-profile issues, to hang back and wait for his committee assignments — but he hit a wrinkle there.

“I think I bring an enlisted perspective into that committee room.”

He had promised during his campaign that he would not vote for Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as speaker of the House, saying Congress needed a new generation of leaders. He, along with 14 other members, followed through on their promises, but Pelosi was reelected speaker anyway.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Golden said. Voting against the speaker “doesn’t make it easy to get your top committee assignments.”

One of Golden’s two committee assignments is the Committee on Armed Services, whose 62 members include 20 military veterans. Twelve of those served combat tours, but only Golden served in the enlisted ranks.

“I think I bring an enlisted perspective into that committee room,” he said. “There’s a lot of officers sitting in that room. It’s a different, boots-on-the-ground perspective on Afghanistan and Iraq or other things.”

He’s also on the Committee on Small Business, chairing that committee’s contracting and infrastructure subcommittee.

“That committee’s been a real blessing,” he said. “It’s interesting, and in my experience, the one you might not enjoy as much turns out to be really deeply engaging.”

A lawyer, Cline landed among many other lawyers on the Judiciary Committee, an assignment he credits to the Congressman succeeded in Virginia’s 6th District, Bob Goodlatte ’74, who was the committee’s chair.

He also joined the Committee on Education and Labor where, as the representative of a district dotted with four-year colleges, he works on the higher education subcommittee.

On election night in Virginia, Ben Cline ’94 hugs Bob Goodlatte ’74 before giving his acceptance speech in Roanoke. (Heather Rousseau / copyright The Roanoke Times , reproduced by permission)

Soon after arriving in Washington, Cline drew media attention for a reason he didn’t expect. New members of Congress join a lottery to pick their offices, and Cline got first pick among the 80 new representatives — and was promptly inundated with calls from news outlets asking him about his new office. “Just to show you how the priorities of D.C. are messed up,” he lamented.

“ CBS This Morning wanted to follow me around,” Cline said. “I said, ‘Can I go on CBS This Morning ? Because I’d like to talk about my priorities for legislation.’ ‘No, we just want to follow you around and see what room you pick.’ That was my moment of fame.”

Cline didn’t go on This Morning , and he said the national media requests have largely subsided. “I’ve been on a very quiet committee assignment of Judiciary ever since,” he joked.

On listening to people

What most people don’t realize, Cline said, is how much of a House member’s attention and resources are devoted to issues back home in the district.

“They see us in Washington, but they don’t see that half of our budget is constituent services, running the offices. Half my staff is in the district helping folks who have problems with Social Security benefits or veterans benefits, solving problems with passports and things like that.”

Golden and Cline or their staffs spend three or four days out of most weeks in the district, hearing their constituents’ opinions.

“I have 19 counties and cities in my district, and so I’m trying to have a town hall in each one of them,” Cline said. “That’s where the rubber meets the road, when people can actually talk to their representative. You’re just being available. That’s what’s going to restore faith in the system.”

A squad leader in the Marines, Golden said that leading a Congressional staff was very different. “I hired good, smart people who challenge me and try and push back and make sure I’m making the right decisions and be thoughtful about it. That’s a learning experience for me, too.”

Jared Golden ’11 offers his Maine constituents multiple ways to give him feedback, including taking hikes with him. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Golden said he might hold a town hall now and again, but finds that the format favors loud and politically extreme views. (Maine’s two U.S. senators, independent Angus King and Republican Susan Collins, also tend to eschew the town hall format.)

Golden also has roundtables and coffee hours, appears at public events, and even tells his constituents to take a hike.

“We say, ‘Come meet us at the head of the trail, and walk through the woods with your Congressman for an hour.’ We’ll get three or four people; but maybe some people need it that low-key.”

On partisanship

Cline, a former member of the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates, had to get used to being in the minority in “one of the most partisan environments imaginable,” he said — and during a shutdown, to boot. “We’re trying, but it’s like starting from 20 yards behind.”

In Virginia, Cline said, it was much easier to work across the aisle.

“In Richmond, all of us sit in the House together on the floor at the same time, and there’s one room in the back called the Members’ Lounge, and that’s where the food is. In line, it’s Democrat, Republican, Democrat, Republican. When we sit down, we’re all sitting together in the back sharing stories.”

On Capitol Hill, Cline has found that there’s a partisan slant to everything from orientation, which is largely separate for Republicans and Democrats, to doorways.

“The caucuses don’t even enter rooms through the same doors. The Republicans go through one door, the Democrats go in another door. Every committee has separate lounges, a lounge for Republicans and a lounge for Democrats.”

“We are starting from a place of stark division and for those of us who want to make changes, the institution’s very resistant to change,” Cline added. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to make it happen.”

Darnell Morrow ’14 (left) greets Ben Cline ’94 (right) prior to the Reunion discussion on June 8. Both graduates of Washington and Lee Law School, the pair had met once before, when on opposite sides of a legal case. (Jay Burns/Bates College)

Cline said he sometimes plays “Democrat roulette,” saying hello to various Democratic members of Congress and seeing who is responsive and who is not. Golden joined the For Country Caucus, a group of military veterans from both parties who are committed to bipartisanship.

“It’s really a commitment to forge relationships and try and put yourself in the mindset of, what’s the best step for the collective country?” Golden said.

“Forget talking about Middle East peace. Here in our country, we’re in a lot of trouble.”

One audience member in the Keck Classroom called the separate doors “heartbreaking,” and asked the Congressmen if there was any hope for bipartisan cooperation. Neither were optimistic.

Golden recalled listening to a podcast featuring a marriage counselor who also worked on Middle East peace efforts. The counselor said that cooperation is very difficult if people don’t trust either the process of negotiation or negotiators themselves.

“I really thought about our politics these days,” Golden said. “Forget talking about Middle East peace. Here in our country, with our politics, both sides don’t trust one another. The general public doesn’t trust the process. We’re in a lot of trouble.”

Improving relations between the two major parties in Congress won’t be easy, say Jared Golden ’11 (left) and Ben Cline ’94. “Trying to get a seedling to sprout in that rubble is challenging,” said Cline. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Cline said the Judiciary Committee, which is conducting some of the highest-profile hearings on the Hill in connection with the Mueller Report, is a microcosm of the hyperpartisanship sweeping Congress. “We were talking past each other and making points and then going back to our offices,” he said.

He said he’s trying to get all the freshman members together for lunch once a week, but the work is frustrating.

“It’s building those relationships from the ground up,” he said. “Right now we just have dust. We just have rubble. Trying to get a seedling to sprout in that rubble is challenging.”

On their Bates experiences

Cline grew up in Lexington, Va., the son of a Washington and Lee economics professor. He had the liberal arts ethos in mind when he arrived at Bates, and he said he got what he wanted.

On a largely liberal campus, the more-conservative Cline was “confronted on day one,” he said. But he learned to debate his beliefs in Commons, where anything and everything was up for grabs.

“Everything was on the table,” he said. “If you had something to say, say it.”

In 1992, Cline’s mother sent him a newspaper clipping — Bob Goodlatte ’74 had won that year’s House seat in his home district. Two years later, Goodlatte returned to campus for his 20th Reunion, and Cline made a point of joining the student BatesStar team for the Class of 1974.

“Everything was on the table” at Bates, said Ben Cline ’94. “If you had something to say, say it.” (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

The BatesStars were encouraged to write notes of introduction to the returning alumni. “Mine said, ‘I’m Ben Cline, I’m from Lexington, Virginia, I’m majoring in political science, and I really want to work on Capitol Hill.’”

And during the weekend, he got to meet the new Congressman and his wife, Maryellen Flaherty Goodlatte ’74.

“Sure enough, after he and Maryellen got back to Washington, there was a resume waiting for him. It was at that point that the very first staffer, an entry-level correspondent who wrote the mail, had decided to leave. I got called in for an interview.”

Cline worked for Goodlatte for eight years, becoming chief of staff. After his time in Goodlatte’s office, Cline earned a law degree and served eight terms in the Virginia House of Delegates. When Goodlatte decided to retire in 2018 after 26 years in Congress, Cline won his seat.

“My Bates network was one guy,” Cline said, “but it was a very critical guy.”

In July 1999, Ben Cline ’94 (left) confers with Rep. Bob Goodlatte ’74 in Goodlatte’s office in the Rayburn House Office Building. Cline was Goodlatte’s legislative director at the time. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Born in Lewiston and raised in nearby Leeds, Golden served two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to Maine. By the mid-2000s, he was working a few jobs to make ends meet, including one at George’s Pizza in Auburn, a favorite Friday night pizza takeout spot for Bill Hiss ’66, a longtime Bates dean of admission.

The two met one night, and Hiss encouraged Golden, who had briefly attended the University of Maine at Farmington, to return to college, at Bates.

“I’m like, ‘You’re out of your mind, buddy,’” Golden said in recalling Hiss’ suggestion, eliciting a big laugh from the Reunion audience. But, he said, “Bates didn’t laugh.”

“It’s a real lesson that nothing is really impossible. If you want to try something and work hard enough for it, and people will give you a chance and opportunities, you grab onto it, and you can do it.”

As a parent takes a photo, Jared Golden ’11 poses with a Reunion-goer’s son following the discussion. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Golden ticked off the ways he was a non-traditional student: He was in his mid-20s and “could also qualify as a townie and the only veteran on campus — so being a little different and facing some resistance in the classroom, but also bringing some,” he said.

After graduation, Golden worked in Collins’ Senate office before returning to Maine in 2013. He served two terms in the Maine House of Representatives and was elected assistant majority leader in his second term. In 2015, he married Isobel Moiles ’11.

In terms of his political perspectives, the lessons he learned as a Marine and as a Bates graduate sometimes intertwine. One result, he said, is being able to see different sides of an issue and a propensity to challenge conventional thinking.

On election night in November, Jared Golden ’11, joined by Isobel Moiles Golden ’11, greet supporters at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

When a Reunion audience member asked whether the U.S. government should intervene in Venezuela, Golden pointed out that Congress didn’t have much power to initiate or stop armed conflict these days. Even so, his experience tended to prevent a yes-no answer.

“It gets real complex, real fast,” he said. “When I talk about my feelings on Afghanistan, I can go, ‘Geez, what are we doing over there? We’re not really helping. We’re wasting so many resources and blood and lives of both countries.’”

But then, “I go and talk to Mustafa.”

As a student, Golden became good friends with Mustafa Basij-Rasikh ’12 , a student from Kabul, Afghanistan, who had received support to study in the U.S. from the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, founded by Sally and Don Goodrich, whose son Peter ’89 died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

For a 2010 Bates Magazine story, Mustafa Basij-Rasikh ’12 and Jared Golden ’11 posed together in a Pettengill history classroom. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

Golden and Basij-Rasikh both thought deeply about the state of education in Afghanistan, and Golden returned to teach there one summer.

So when Golden thinks about his friend from Kabul, “it gets real hard to say we should just walk away and not engage in that type of [military] activity. A lot of questions, and the answers, are tough to come up with.”

On Capitol Hill, “Bates has put me into a mindset which is probably infuriating at times to some of my colleagues,” Golden told his fellow alumni at Reunion.

“I will challenge conventional thinking as much within my own party and caucus as I would across the aisle in challenging the Republicans.”

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Jared Golden

Jared Forrest Golden (born July 25, 1982) is an American politician and a Marine Corps veteran serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district since 2019 .

Early life and education

Maine house of representatives, u.s. house of representatives, committee assignments, caucus memberships, electoral history, personal life, external links.

A member of the Democratic Party , his district, the largest east of the Mississippi River by area, covers the northern four-fifths of the state, including Lewiston , Bangor , and Auburn . Golden, along with Angus King and Chellie Pingree , are the first members of Congress to be elected by ranked-choice voting . Golden is the only member of Congress elected after finishing second in the first round of tabulation . [1] [2] He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a United States Marine .

Golden was born in Lewiston and raised in Leeds . [3] He attended Leavitt Area High School . Golden enrolled as a student at the University of Maine at Farmington but left after one year to join the United States Marine Corps in 2002. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan . [4] [5]

After returning home to Maine, Golden attended Bates College , graduating with a degree in history and politics. [6] He went on to work for an international logistics firm and then for Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee . [7] [5]

Golden returned to Maine in 2013 to work for the House Democratic Office in the Maine Legislature . As a Democrat, Golden ran for and was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2014, representing part of the city of Lewiston . He was reelected in 2016. In the subsequent legislative session, Golden became Assistant House Majority Leader. [4] Golden chaired the Elections Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Joint Rules. [8]

On August 24, 2017, Golden announced his candidacy against Bruce Poliquin to serve in the United States House of Representatives for Maine's 2nd congressional district . [4] On June 20, 2018, he was declared the winner of the Democratic primary, defeating environmentalist Lucas St. Clair and bookstore owner Craig Olson. [9]

On election night, Golden trailed Poliquin by 2,000 votes. As neither candidate won a majority, Maine's newly implemented ranked-choice voting system called for the votes of independents Tiffany Bond and William Hoar to be redistributed to Poliquin or Golden in accordance with their voters' second choice. The independents' supporters ranked Golden as their second choice by an overwhelming margin, allowing him to defeat Poliquin by 3,000 votes after the final tabulation. [10] He is the first challenger to unseat an incumbent in the district since 1916. [11]

Poliquin opposed the use of ranked-choice voting in the election and claimed to be the winner due to his first-round lead. He filed a lawsuit in federal court to have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional and to have himself declared the winner. Judge Lance E. Walker rejected all of Poliquin's arguments and upheld the certified results. [12] Poliquin appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and requested an order to prevent Golden from being certified as the winner, but the request was rejected. [13] On December 24, Poliquin dropped his lawsuit, allowing Golden to take the seat. [14]

Golden ran for reelection in 2020 and won the Democratic primary unopposed. His Republican opponent was Dale Crafts , a former Maine Representative. Most political pundits expected Golden to win the general election easily; polling showed him ahead of Crafts by an average of about 19%, Sabato's Crystal Ball and The Cook Political Report both rating the contest as "Likely Democratic", and analysis website FiveThirtyEight predicted that Golden had a 96 out of 100 chance of winning, with Golden garnering nearly 57% of the vote in their projection of the most likely scenario. [15] [16] [17] [18]

In November, Golden defeated Crafts 53%–47%, a closer margin than expected. [19] President Donald Trump carried the district in that same election. [20]

Golden ran for reelection in 2022 and won the Democratic primary unopposed. [21] He faced former Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin , whom he narrowly beat in 2018, and independent Tiffany Bond, who also ran for the 2nd congressional district seat in 2018. In July, Golden was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Maine's largest police union, which "split the ticket" by also endorsing former Republican governor Paul LePage . [22] Polls again showed Golden with a lead, [23] but many organizations rated the seat as a "tossup", as incumbent President Joe Biden was unpopular and inflation was approaching 40-year highs; Decision Desk HQ even gave the seat a "Leans Republican" rating. [24] Nonetheless, Golden led the field in the first round, and defeated Poliquin 53%–47% after Bond's second-choice votes mostly flowed to him. [25]

Golden was sworn in on January 3, 2019. During the election for Speaker of the House , he voted against Democratic Caucus nominee Nancy Pelosi , as he had pledged to do during his campaign, instead voting for Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois . [26] On December 18, 2019, Golden voted for Article I of the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump but was one of three Democrats to vote against Article II. [27]

On February 6, 2020, Golden endorsed Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado for president during the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries . [28]

As of August 2022, Golden had voted in line with Joe Biden 's stated position 85.7% of the time, the lowest rate of any member of the Democratic caucus. [29]

Build Back Better Act

Golden was the lone House Democrat to vote against the Build Back Better Act , citing concerns about the elimination of the $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction and the lack of prescription drug pricing reform. [30] He later joined all other Democrats in voting for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 , an amended version of the original bill. [31]

COVID-19 policy

On January 31, 2023, Golden was among seven Democrats to vote for H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill that would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. [32] [33]

On February 1, 2023, Golden was among 12 Democrats to vote for a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency. [34] [35]

Criminal justice reform

Golden was one of two Democrats to vote against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act . [36] In a statement after the vote, Golden said the bill "includes many good provisions that would bring about positive change", mentioning the establishment of a national registry for police misconduct, increased data collection, encouragement of deescalation tactics, and banning chokeholds unless deadly force is authorized. But he expressed concern about the provision that would restrict qualified immunity and lamented that there had "been no negotiations since the legislation's first passage, and the bill before us retains those same problematic changes". [37]

On May 24, 2023, Golden was one of only two House Democrats, along with Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, to vote with Republicans to overturn President Biden's student loan debt cancellation plan. [38]

Foreign policy

During the Russo-Ukrainian War , Golden organized a letter, signed by himself and other members of Congress, advocating for President Biden to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. [39]

Golden rejected calls for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war . [40] He voted in favor of a bill that would provide an additional $14.3 billion to support Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip . [41]

Golden was the only Democrat to vote against the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to expand background checks on gun purchases and one of two House Democrats, along with Ron Kind of Wisconsin , to vote against the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 , designed to close the so-called Charleston loophole . Both bills passed the House in March 2021. [42]

In 2022, Golden was one of two Democrats, the other being lame duck Kurt Schrader of Oregon , to vote against raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. [43]

On July 29, 2022, Golden and four other Democrats joined Republicans, aside from two who declined to run again for reelection, in voting against a bill banning assault weapons. [44]

However, following the 2023 Lewiston shootings in his hometown that killed more than 20 people, Golden reversed his position on October 26, 2023, apologizing and calling for Congress to ban assault weapons. [45]

Following the 2023 Lewiston shootings and his reversal on an assault weapons ban, Golden said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal , "I really believe that any law-abiding and competent citizen should have fairly easy access to firearms." [46] But, he said he began asking himself difficult questions in the wake of the shooting. "Am I going to start carrying an AR-15 slung over my shoulder when I go to the grocery store, when I go to a restaurant?" he said, noting that the odds of being in the right place to stop an active shooter were slim. "And what responsibilities do I have as a leader of the community?" he said.

LGBT rights

On December 8, 2022, Golden voted for the Respect for Marriage Act , which would overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and federally protect same-sex and interracial marriages . [47]

On July 14, 2023, Golden was one of four Democrats who voted with the majority of House Republicans to pass the annual defense policy bill, which included provisions prohibiting Pentagon spending on abortion and transgender surgeries. [48]

Marijuana policy

Golden has an "A" rating from NORML for his voting record on cannabis -related matters. [49]

Golden was one of 38 Democrats to vote against the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement Implementation Act . [50] Explaining his vote, he said the law's labeling requirements would not be enough to keep international companies from misbranding products, putting Maine's businesses at a disadvantage. He said he was skeptical it would be enforced sufficiently to protect workers, saying "we have a bad track record" in doing so with other trade deals. [51]

In the 118th Congress : [52]

• Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation
• Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces
• Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax and Capital Access
• Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Regulations
• Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains
• Blue Dog Coalition [53]
• For Country Caucus (co-chair) [54]
• Problem Solvers Caucus [55]

% (gross) = percent of all valid votes cast (without eliminating the exhausted votes) % (net) = percent of votes cast after eliminating the exhausted votes

Golden's wife Isobel (née Moiles) served as a city councilor in Lewiston from 2016 to 2018. [60] [61] They have two daughters. [62] Golden has at least five tattoos from his time serving in the U.S. military, including a Celtic Sun Cross tattoo on his forearm and a " devil dog ". [63] [64]

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• ↑ Bradner, Eric (November 15, 2018). "Democrats flip another House seat after ranked-choice runoff in Maine | CNN Politics" . CNN . Retrieved September 5, 2022 .
• ↑ Collins, Steve (September 9, 2018). "Jared Golden: From combat to candidate for Congress" . Sun Journal . Retrieved September 10, 2018 .
• 1 2 3 Thistle, Scott (August 24, 2017). "Jared Golden, a leading Democrat in Maine House, announces run for U.S. Congress" . Portland Press Herald . Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
• 1 2 Collins, Steve (September 9, 2018). "Jared Golden: From combat to candidate for Congress" . Sun Journal . Retrieved September 27, 2018 .
• ↑ Shepherd, Michael (August 24, 2017). "Poliquin may have to beat a Marine veteran to keep his seat" . Bangor Daily News . Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
• ↑ "Jared Golden calls himself a veteran who still wants to serve" . Sun Journal . August 23, 2017 . Retrieved June 13, 2018 .
• ↑ "Member Profile - Historical View" . The Maine House of Representatives . Retrieved April 11, 2021 .
• ↑ Collins, Steve (June 20, 2018). "Democrat Jared Golden declared winner of congressional primary" . Sun Journal . Retrieved June 30, 2018 .
• ↑ "Jared Golden declared winner of first ranked-choice congressional election, but challenge looms" . Portland Press Herald . November 15, 2018 . Retrieved November 16, 2018 .
• ↑ Taylor, Kate; Stack, Liam (November 15, 2018). "Maine's Bruce Poliquin, Lone Republican in House From New England, Loses Re-election" . The New York Times .
• ↑ Collins, Steve (December 13, 2018). "Federal court rules against Bruce Poliquin's challenge of ranked-choice voting" . Sun Journal . Retrieved December 19, 2018 .
• ↑ Mistler, Steve. "Poliquin's Request To Block Certification Of 2nd District Election" . Maine Public . Retrieved December 21, 2018 .
• ↑ Murphy, Edward (December 24, 2018). "Poliquin drops challenge to ranked-choice voting, clearing way for Golden to take seat in Congress" . Portland Press Herald . Retrieved December 25, 2018 .
• ↑ "Maine's Second District - Crafts vs. Golden" . RealClearPolitics . November 3, 2020 . Retrieved February 11, 2021 .
• ↑ "2020 House race ratings" . Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 2, 2020 . Retrieved February 11, 2021 .
• ↑ "2020 House race ratings" . The Cook Political Report . November 2, 2020 . Retrieved February 11, 2021 .
• ↑ "Golden is clearly favored to win Maine's 2nd District" . FiveThirtyEight . November 3, 2020 . Retrieved February 11, 2021 .
• ↑ "Maine Election Results: Second Congressional District" . The New York Times . February 11, 2021.
• ↑ "Trump holds electoral vote in northern Maine" . Politico . January 6, 2021.
• ↑ "Maine Second Congressional District Primary Election Results" . The New York Times . June 15, 2022 . Retrieved August 30, 2022 .
• ↑ "Maine police group's endorsement of Golden could undercut key GOP attack" . Maine Public . July 25, 2022 . Retrieved August 30, 2022 .
• ↑ St Pierre, Ariana (October 21, 2022). "New poll gives insight into key political races in Maine" . WPFO . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
• ↑ "DDHQ 2022 Election Forecast" . forecast.decisiondeskhq.com . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
• ↑ Collins, Steve (November 17, 2022). "Completed count shows Rep. Jared Golden won big in Maine's 2nd Congressional District" . Press Herald . Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
• ↑ "Maine's new Rep. Golden votes against Pelosi for House speaker" . Portland Press Herald . Associated Press . January 3, 2019 . Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
• ↑ Foran, Clare; Byrd, Haley (December 18, 2019). "Democrat to split his vote on impeachment articles" . CNN . Retrieved December 19, 2019 .
• ↑ Cadelago, Christopher; Mutnick, Ally (February 6, 2020). "Michael Bennet's first House endorsement is from Trump Country" . Politico . Retrieved February 6, 2020 .
• ↑ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?" . FiveThirtyEight . Retrieved August 26, 2022 .
• ↑ Choi, Joseph (November 19, 2021). "Jared Golden sole Democrat to vote against Build Back Better Act" . The Hill .
• ↑ "Roll Call 420, Bill Number: H. R. 5376, 117th Congress, 2nd Session" . Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives . August 12, 2022 . Retrieved December 23, 2022 .
• ↑ "Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers" . January 31, 2023.
• ↑ "On Passage - H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on" . August 12, 2015.
• ↑ "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency" . February 2023.
• ↑ "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by" . August 12, 2015.
• ↑ "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 -- Mar 3, 2021" . Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives . March 3, 2021 . Retrieved July 28, 2022 .
• ↑ "Maine Rep. Jared Golden votes against House police reform bill" . News Center Maine . March 4, 2021 . Retrieved July 28, 2022 .
• ↑ Binkley, Collin (May 24, 2023). "House GOP passes resolution overturning student loan cancellation; Biden vows veto" . Associated Press . Retrieved May 25, 2023 .
• ↑ O'Brien, Connor (February 17, 2023). "Democrats, Republicans join up to urge Biden to send F-16s to Ukraine" . Politico . Retrieved February 24, 2023 .
• ↑ "Portland City Council unanimously backs resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza" . Maine Morning Star . January 4, 2024.
• ↑ "Activists arrested at Rep. Golden's Bangor office amid increased calls for ceasefire in Gaza" . Maine Morning Star . November 9, 2023.
• ↑ Conradis, Brandon (March 11, 2021). "The eight Republicans who voted to tighten background checks on guns" . The Hill . Retrieved March 12, 2021 .
• ↑ "House passes slate of bills to restrict access to guns and ammunition; it faces long odds in Senate" . NBC News . June 8, 2022 . Retrieved June 9, 2022 .
• ↑ Lee, Ella (July 30, 2022). "Who are the 7 House members who broke with their party in voting on assault weapons ban?" . USA Today . Retrieved July 30, 2022 .
• ↑ Robertson, Nick (October 26, 2023). "Maine Democrat calls for assault weapons ban after past opposition" . The Hill . Retrieved October 26, 2023 .
• ↑ Kesling, Ben (November 10, 2023). "Maine Lawmaker Looked at His AR-15 Differently After Lewiston Massacre" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved November 11, 2023 .
• ↑ Dormido, Hannah; Blanco, Adrian; Perry, Kati (December 8, 2022). "Here's which House members voted for or against the Respect for Marriage Act" . The Washington Post . Retrieved July 16, 2023 .
• ↑ Richards, Zoë; Kaplan, Rebecca; Shabad, Rebecca (July 14, 2023). "House passes defense bill after GOP adopts abortion and transgender surgery amendments" . NBC News . Retrieved July 16, 2023 .
• ↑ "Jared Golden (D - ME)" . Retrieved July 16, 2022 .
• ↑ "United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act -- Dec 19, 2019" . Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives . December 19, 2019 . Retrieved July 28, 2022 .
• ↑ "Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree will vote against revised NAFTA trade pact" . WGME . December 19, 2019 . Retrieved July 28, 2022 .
• ↑ "Committees and Caucuses" . Representative Jared Golden . December 13, 2012 . Retrieved January 30, 2021 .
• ↑ "Members" . Blue Dog Coalition. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019 . Retrieved December 23, 2018 .
• ↑ "For Country Caucus Announces Chairs, Members for 117th Congress" . Representative Jared Golden . February 25, 2021 . Retrieved April 29, 2021 .
• ↑ "Featured Members" . Problem Solvers Caucus . Retrieved March 28, 2021 .
• ↑ "Tabulations for Elections held in 2018" . www.maine.gov . Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, Elections and Voting, Tabulations. June 12, 2018 . Retrieved February 6, 2020 .
• ↑ "Results Certified to the Governor 11/26/18" . www.maine.gov . Retrieved December 14, 2018 .
• ↑ "November 3, 2020 General Election" . Maine Department of Secretary of State . Retrieved November 24, 2020 .
• ↑ MaineSOS [@MESecOfState] (November 16, 2022). "Full Summary report here:" ( Tweet ) – via Twitter .
• ↑ Collins, Steve (August 23, 2017). "Lewiston's Jared Golden takes aim at congressional seat" . Sun Journal . Retrieved June 12, 2018 .
• ↑ "Moiles — Golden" . Sun Journal . October 19, 2014.
• ↑ "Jared Golden welcomes daughter" . Bangor Daily News . Associated Press . May 16, 2021 . Retrieved June 14, 2021 .
• ↑ "Super PAC Blasts Democratic Candidate's Marine Tattoos" . Newsweek . August 28, 2018.
• ↑ Clawson, Laura (August 27, 2018). "Republican super PAC attacks combat veteran for having tattoos" . Daily Kos . Retrieved May 25, 2023 .
• Congressman Jared Golden official U.S. House website
• Jared Golden for Congress campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• 118th United States Congress
• List of acts of the 118th United States Congress

Miller, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Review Act to Repeal Biden's Electric Vehicle Credit Rules

Washington, D.C. –  Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) joined Congressman Jared Golden (D-ME), and Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Resolution that disapproves of the Clean Vehicle Credit rule making from the Department of Treasury and would repeal the illegal rule.    “Actions speak louder than words. The Biden Administration’s final rule on the Electric Vehicle Credit makes it clear that they are prioritizing misguided Green New Deal products coming from China over American investment in our domestic supply chain. Not only is this rule making clearly illegal, but it also undermines American manufacturing and economic growth. Allowing Chinese entities to deluge the United States with products that should and can be made in America is a betrayal of American manufacturers and producers. Our adversaries should not have access to American tax credits, plain and simple. This bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Review Act resolution holds the Biden Administration accountable for the economic and national security disasters they are bestowing upon the American people. The Biden Administration’s alignment with the Chinese Communist Party weakens the United States, and Congress must lead when Joe Biden refuses to,”  said Congresswoman Miller.   "This new Treasury rule misses the point of the IRA: We're supposed to be prioritizing American manufacturing, not using taxpayer dollars to reward our foreign competitors’ market distortions by cementing their position in our supply chain. I support this CRA because it makes Congressional intent clear: More production in the United States,"  said Congressman Golden. “The Inflation Reduction Act was written specifically to bring our energy and manufacturing supply chains back to the United States and eliminate our dependency on foreign adversaries, especially China. This Administration continues to ignore the law that Congress agreed upon and implement a bill that they did not pass that allows China to gain control of our nation’s auto industry. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan, bicameral CRA resolution of disapproval to hold the White House and its radical climate advisors accountable, protect American jobs and secure our energy supply chains,”  said Senator Manchin. “ President Biden wants to prop up America’s transition to EVs by keeping Chinese graphite flowing into the United States. As usual, China will profit richly off the administration’s ‘green’ energy dreams. If Joe Biden wants to force EVs on Americans, he should at least find another source of graphite,”  said Senator Fischer. Click  here  for the text of the resolution.   Background:

• The law clearly states that beginning in 2025, any electric vehicles with batteries containing any critical minerals or components from a foreign adversary are ineligible for tax credits under sections 30D and 25E.
• However, under the final rule released by the Biden Administration, Chinese materials can be used for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and still qualify for the credit, meaning U.S. tax dollars are subsidizing Chinese companies who provide these materials and minerals.
• If passed, the CRA would force the Biden Administration to re-write this rule in a substantially different manner, which would force them to exclude adversaries from receiving American tax credits.
• The Biden Administration has fabricated the idea that because an input may currently be hard to trace, they are “untraceable” and are not subject to the Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restriction outlined in the tax code, contradicting the clear language and intent to block these taxpayer dollars from supporting Chinese suppliers. 

By the Numbers

Golden backs bills supporting law enforcement officers during national police week.

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today announced he will support seven bills under consideration in the House this week in recognition of National Police Week. 

“When President John F. Kennedy proclaimed the first Police Week in 1962, he called on the nation to commemorate police officers past and present whose ‘ faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities have rendered a dedicated service to their communities and, in so doing, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens,’” Golden said. 

“While our world and the challenges facing law enforcement officers have changed since President Kennedy’s proclamation, the duty to serve and protect remains one of our nation’s highest callings. Their faithful and loyal devotion to that duty is as deserving of our gratitude now as it ever has been.” 

Congressman Golden announced his support for the following bills: 

• HR 7581, which would require the U.S. Attorney General to develop a series of reports related to violent attacks on law enforcement officers, the efficacy of current data collection related to attacks on officers, and the efficacy of programs intended to provide protective equipment and wellness resources to officers. 
• H.R. 7343, which would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take into custody any illegally present immigrant who is arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or admitting to assaulting law enforcement personnel while they are performing official duties. 
• HR 8146, which would require the Justice Department to submit a report to Congress on the effect national immigration policies are having on federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officers. 
• H.R. 354, which would allow qualified active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms and ammunition in school zones, in national parks, on government property open to the public, and in certain federal facilities. 
• H.R. 7530, which would require the District of Columbia to revise its definition of youth offenders to include individuals 18 years old or younger, require the DC Attorney General to establish and update a website with statistics on juvenile crime, and prohibit the District of Columbia from enacting changes to criminal sentences. 
• H Res. 1213, a resolution condemning calls to defund the police. 
• H. Res. 1210, a resolution stating that the border crisis is exacerbating challenges and dangers faced by law enforcement.