Maine Rep. Jared Golden, the only Democrat in the House to vote for the Republican-led government funding bill, drew a primary challenger Monday who accused him of consistently siding with the GOP over his own party.
State Auditor Matthew Dunlap’s bid sets the stage for a high-profile showdown in a district Democrats will likely need to hold to regain control of the US House. Golden represents one of the country’s most competitive districts, winning his 2024 race by less than a percentage point while Donald Trump carried it by roughly 10 points.
Defending the vote in a statement, Golden said that the shutdown “is the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.”
We need more progressive challengers at all levels of government, basically everywhere but especially in rural districts.
Consider running for something: https://runforsomething.net/run/
We also need more participation in primaries, by all voters below retirement age but especially millennials.
Know your primaries. Add ‘em to your calendar: https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_Party_primaries,_2026
Edit: spare yourself the thread below. I tried.
Bullshit
How many cycles are we away from prior DNCs publicly stating anyone that works on a primary campaign is blackballed from all Dem campaigns?
That was a giant poison pill whose effects don’t immediately vanish.
It’s a call to action, not finger-pointing. Are you more concerned with the fight being unfair before than you are winning it now?
I think that it shouldn’t be difficult to figure out blaming voters for the failings of the party and our only options in the general just depresses turnout.
That’s why the new DNC is publicly and repeatedly saying they need to do better, and actually are doing better.
That is what gets more D votes.
What you’re doing is hurting the Dem party and helping trump, even if you still don’t understand it.
I fail to see why progressives must wait for DNC reform before we challenge incumbents and vote in primaries, and I fail to see why suggesting we do so in the future is “helping Trump.”
I legitimately don’t know how else to explain it:
Telling people no one will help them doesn’t motivate them, it’s literally the largest reason nonvoters have given for decades to justify non voting
OK, it seems you’re hearing something very different than what I’m saying. This message is the opposite of fatalism, and is directed at any progressives reading, not you specifically.
The reason Bernie Sanders and AOC are traveling around the US asking young progressives to run is that they are underrepresented by government because they are underrepresented in government.
What you’re intending to say is probably different from what you’re actually saying…
But obviously nothing I say is going to help, best of luck.