Just one day after sweeping, nationwide election victories for the Democratic Party, one of its top lawmakers suddenly resigned in a shocking move that could rattle Capitol Hill.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), announced he will not seek a fifth House term next year.
Golden, a former Marine and member of the moderate House Blue Dog Coalition, announced his decision one day after Democrats racked up surprising election wins — highlighted by the shocking election victory of socialist Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral election.
“I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win,” Golden said in a statement on X attached to an op-ed announcing his decision in the Bangor Daily News.
“But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.”
After much deliberation, I’ve decided not to seek reelection in 2026.
I’m confident that were I to run again, I would win. But recent events have made me reconsider whether the good I can do in Congress still outweighs the cost to my family.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished…
— Jared Golden for Congress (@golden4congress) November 5, 2025
Golden, 43, who was been dubbed by some as the most conservative Democrat in Congress, was the lone House Democrat to vote to fund the government through Nov. 21. despite other Senate Dems blocking that bill 14 times during the ongoing shutdown, the longest in US history.
“I have never loved politics,” Golden wrote in his op-ed, explaining that after 11 years of service in the Maine statehouse and Congress, he’s “grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves.”
Golden also cited death threats against him and “recent incidents of political violence” — including last year’s assassination attempt against President Trump; the arson attack on Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home; and the murders of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and Democratic Minnestoa Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark,, as reasons for deciding to not seek reelection.
Golden said the scary rise politically motivated violence has “made me reassess the frequent threats against me and my family.”
“These have made me reconsider the experiences of my own family, including all of us sitting in a hotel room on Thanksgiving last year after yet another threat against our home,” he continued.
“There have been enough of those over the years to demand my attention.”
In his op-ed Golden also blamed “the state of our politics” for wanting to move on with his life, highlighting “the nonstop, hyperbolic accusations and recriminations by both” Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
“I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning,” he wrote.
“Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son.”
Golden narrowly won re-election in 2024, beating his then-GOP opponent by less than a percentage point.
Despite the announcement, Republicans have called for Golden to step away for some time, including The Republican National Committee who argued Maine voters were “fed up” with Golden.
“Endless flip-flopper Jared Golden got the message that Mainers were fed up and decided to run for the hills instead of waiting for his constituents to send him packing,” RNC spokeswoman Kristen Cianci said in a statement.
“Maine’s Second District has repeatedly voted for President Trump, is clearly ready for a change, and will be one to watch in the midterms,” she added.
A recent University of New Hampshire survey found that the majority of Maine voters, 57%, indicated that Golden should not be re-elected to another term, including 36% of Democrats and 66% of Independents.