It’s never a dull day in the world of politics. There’s countless surprises that occur.
And a leading Democrat is quitting Congress in a move no one saw coming.
Rep. Jared Golden, the Maine Democrat, just threw in the towel. He’s not running for reelection in 2026, and Washington insiders are scrambling. This guy was supposed to be their great moderate hope, but even he can’t stomach what’s become of his own party.
Golden dropped the bombshell in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News, catching everyone off guard. He had a tough primary brewing and a brutal general election ahead, but now he’s out. “Recently, it became clear that now is the right time to step away from elected office,” he stated. “I have 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.”
Timing couldn’t be more perfect—or d*mning—for the Democrats. This hits just after Zohran Mamdani, the far-left firebrand, crushed it in New York City’s mayoral race. Mamdani snagged over 50 percent in a packed field that even had ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo scrambling as an independent. The Democrats didn’t just back this guy; they crowned him. It’s the final nail in the coffin for the party of the working man.
Once upon a time, Democrats pretended to fight for blue-collar Americans—the factory workers, the loggers, the fishermen. Now? They’re all-in on East Coast snobs and imported socialists who put multiculturalism first and America dead last. Mamdani’s victory proves it: the party has ditched its roots for a radical agenda that hates everything traditional Americans hold dear.
Republicans aren’t letting this slide. The NRCC and GOP war chests are already loading up to smear every Democrat with Mamdani’s extremist stink in the 2026 midterms.
Listen to NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole lay it out straight: “Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026.”
Golden talks a big game, insisting he’d win if he stuck around. “My record of winning the most challenging district held by any Democrat — of outperforming the top and bottom of the ticket four times — speaks for itself,” he stated.
“Regardless of what angry partisan commentators may say, I retain the trust of the coalition of Democrats, Independents and Republicans that has repeatedly defied the trends of political polarization by electing me.”
But even Golden can’t hide his disgust with his party’s lunacy. He rips into them for sparking that government shutdown mess, admitting the extremists are running the show:
“We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds barred, obstructionary [sic] tactics as the GOP.”
That’s Golden calling out his own side for going full hypocrite, copying the hardball tactics they used to whine about from Republicans. Desperation breeds stupidity, and the Democrats are drowning in it after getting shellacked in 2024.
Polls were already burying Golden alive. Back in October, Breitbart reported former GOP Gov. Paul LePage crushing him 49 percent to 44 percent.
Worse for Golden? His favorability sat two points below state Auditor Matt Dunlap, the guy gunning for him in the primary. When your own party starts eyeing the exit, you know it’s over.
Maine’s Second District is pure Trump country—one of just 13 that backed President Trump in 2024 but still stuck with a Democrat. This place went for LePage in all three of his gubernatorial campaigns.
Golden held on by playing moderate, crossing aisles when it counted. But the Democrat machine doesn’t tolerate that anymore. They’ve gone all-in on the crazy, leaving guys like him twisting in the wind.
With Golden gone, ME-02 flips red easy in 2026. Republicans smell blood, and they’re coming for every last one of these fake “working-class” Democrats clinging to Trump districts.
This is bigger than one seat—it’s the death rattle of a party that betrayed real Americans. From Mamdani’s NYC takeover to Golden’s surrender, the message is clear: the Democrats are done pretending.
They’re the party of elites, open borders, and anti-American radicals now.
