Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage to run for Congress in Trump-friendly district held by Democrat Golden

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LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, an early supporter of President Donald Trump's first successful White House bid and a polarizing figure in state politics, said Monday he is running for Congress in a competitive district.

LePage, a Republican who was governor from 2011 to 2019 and lost a bid for another term in 2022, filed papers late Sunday to run for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. The district is politically mixed, as voters have sent Golden to Washington four times in a row while also supporting President Donald Trump in three consecutive presidential elections.

LePage, 76, brought Maine into the national spotlight as governor with incendiary statements about out-of-state drug dealers impregnating “young white” girls and a political rival he said would “give it to the people without providing Vaseline.” He also described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular” and threw support behind the future president in 2016.

LePage made support for Trump less of a focus in his failed 2022 bid for governor, but said in a Monday statement that “entrenched interests are fighting President Trump at every turn as he works to fix problems." He also vowed to fight “extreme woke policies that defy common sense,” protect the 2nd Amendment and create jobs.

Golden, 42, served as a member of the Maine House of Representatives for four years while LePage was governor. A spokesperson for Golden said the congressman is prioritizing protecting Maine's fishing communities, fighting Republican-led health care cuts and working to secure jobs at the Bath Iron Works shipyard and is not focusing on reelection.

Golden said in a Monday statement: “I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement.”

LePage initially moved from Maine after leaving the governor's office in 2019 and took up residence in Florida. He then re-established residence in Maine. His bid to unseat Mills in 2022 would have made him the longest-serving governor in Maine history.

Regardless of who the candidates are, the 2nd Congressional District in Maine will be one of the most-watched House races in the country in 2026 because Republicans hold a slim majority in the chamber and the district is one of the most competitive. Golden narrowly won reelection over Republican Austin Theriault last year.