Battleground Republican Picks Up High-Profile Democrat Endorsement

A retiring Maine Democrat crossed party lines to endorse Republican Congressman Mike Lawler for re-election in New York, boosting the vulnerable Republican’s campaign ahead of the November midterm elections.

In a USA TODAY Network op-ed published Monday, Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District for eight years and is not seeking re-election, publicly backed Lawler, citing their bipartisan work. The endorsement throws a curveball in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) effort to flip the chamber.

“I strongly back him, and I hope voters send him back to work,” Golden wrote of Lawler. “Wherever you live, find the members who pass laws with the other party, and keep them.”

Golden is a moderate Democrat who represents a district President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and has frequently broken with his party on major votes. Earlier this month, he was one of eight House Democrats to join Republicans in voting for a resolution condemning socialism. In April, he cast the key vote blocking a measure seeking to restrict Trump’s Iran war powers, the only Democrat to do so in a move that angered his party’s leftist flank. 

Now crossing over to back a Republican, Golden pointed to Lawler’s collaboration on the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act that would extend a pause on regulations affecting Maine’s lobster fisheries through 2035 while continuing research into whale protections and fishing gear. The House passed the measure in September by a 219-196 vote, advancing it to the Senate.

Lawler, who represents New York’s Hudson Valley north of New York City, sponsored the legislation, saying it supported America’s fishing communities and protected endangered species without imposing unnecessary burdens on fishermen.

In the op-ed, Golden focused on Lawler’s support for the bill, noting that there “is not a single lobster boat” in Lawler’s district but that he nevertheless signed onto the legislation to protect what Golden called a “historic American industry” that was “on the line.”

“That is how Congress is supposed to work: members of different parties set aside their disagreements, find a problem that matters to the country and fix it,” Golden said. “Mike Lawler has been a true partner to me and a friend to fishing families he will never represent.”

Lawler is running for re-election in New York’s 17th Congressional District, one of the few Republican-held House districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in 2024. Lawler is facing Democrat Cait Conley, an Army veteran and former Biden administration official. Polls show a tight race, and Cook Political Report ranks the seat as a tossup. 

In a statement Monday, Lawler described Golden’s endorsement as “an honor and a privilege.”

“While we are from different parties and different states, Jared and I have worked during our time together in the House to find common ground on issues that matter both to us and our constituents,” Lawler said. “We share a firm belief that what’s best for the people should come before one’s party, and that if more members on both sides of the aisle took that approach more often, the country would be better off for it.”

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