Golden's potential primary problem
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden has long been Republicans' white whale — finding a way to hang on to his solid-red Maine district since he first won in 2018.
But next year, he could face a challenge from a fellow Democrat.
State Auditor and former Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has been openly mulling a primary bid in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, and the chatter has gotten the attention of national Democrats and forced Golden's campaign to poll a potential matchup.
That poll, first reported by NOTUS last month, showed Dunlap trailing Golden's GOP rival, former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, by 10 points, while Golden prevailed by 1 point, well within the margin of error. The district has been trending right and hasn't gone for a Democrat in the presidential race since 2012.
The poll, Dunlap is quick to point out, did not include a potential primary matchup. Dunlap, who told Score recently that he will have a decision around Labor Day, said he was initially hesitant about exploring a run.
'I thought, Do I want to build a campaign only to have everybody laugh at me?' Dunlap said in an interview. 'But largely, the response I've been getting has been incredibly positive.'
Golden's fierce independent streak has ruffled some within his party — both in Maine and in Washington — but he has also shown an ability to win in a district that continues to vote for Republicans at the top of the ticket.
That winning streak in a tough district led Dunlap to get a call from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee urging him against a run.
'They called me on a Thursday morning and they said, 'We really don't think it's a great idea,'' Dunlap recalled. The DCCC has not refuted the call, which was also reported by local media at the time.
Just because Dunlap has been getting some encouragement doesn't mean he will run.
'I also am cynical enough to know that when people say that people have been begging them to run for governor, for Senate, for Congress, the person that's really begging them to run is the person they see in the mirror every morning,' Dunlap said.
Golden's campaign did not respond to requests for comment on Dunlap's run.
Good Monday morning, I hope you enjoyed the wonderful weather this weekend. Reach me: ahoward@politico.com or @andrewjfhoward.
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CAMPAIGN INTEL
LEGAL CORNER — The Supreme Court said Friday that it will weigh the constitutionality of a common form of redistricting used to protect the voting power of Black and Hispanic voters: the drawing of congressional districts where racial minorities make up at least half the population, POLITICO's Zach Montellaro and Josh Gerstein reported Friday. Experts in election law said the move signals that the court may be poised to further narrow the Voting Rights Act.
CASH DASH — Several Democrats are already laying the groundwork for potential 2028 presidential runs, new campaign finance filings show, recruiting donors and running online ads that build their national profiles, my colleagues Jessica Piper and Elena Schneider report. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg led the way among Democrats talked about as presidential contenders with $1.6 million raised for his leadership PAC in the first half of the year, and a few Democratic governors raised hundreds of thousands of dollars each.
… 'Why Trump Keeps Fundraising Like a First-Term President,' by the Wall Street Journal's Josh Dawsey, Anthony DeBarros and Rebecca Ballhaus.
REDISTRICTING — 'Texas Dems to flee state amid national redistricting battle,' POLITICO's Adam Wren scooped on Sunday.
... 'Texas House panel advances redrawn congressional map that would add more GOP seats,' by the Texas Tribune's Eleanor Klibanoff, Kayla Guo and Gabby Birenbaum.
… 'Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting,' Elena reports.
POLLING CORNER — ''They roll right over': Many Democrats call their party weak and ineffective,' per a new AP-NORC poll.
RECRUITMENT — 'In Battle for House, Democrats Are Calling Up Military Recruits,' by NYT's Shane Goldmacher. While the trend is a reprisal of one that worked in 2018, Goldmacher writes that 'this time the push for veterans is being embraced to a greater extent by a party establishment keenly aware of the urgent need for Democratic challengers to create distance from a national party brand that remains deeply unpopular.'
CALIFORNIA GOV — Kamala Harris just answered the biggest question in California politics. Now everyone is asking about Rick Caruso, POLITICO's Jeremy B. White and Melanie Mason write.
YOUNG REPUBLICANS — A monthslong battle for control of the Young Republican National Federation came to a head on Saturday with the organization's national leadership elections in Nashville, my colleague Jacob Wendler writes in. After a bitter fight that at times devolved into alleged smear campaigns, personal attacks and legal threats over which faction represented the true MAGA wing of the party, the incumbent Grow YR slate beat out the insurgent Restore YR campaign 481-426.
YRNF Chair Hayden Padgett, who was reelected on the Grow YR ticket, said he would use his second term to 'fight for a future grounded in opportunity, freedom, and conservative values,' touting his organizing and fundraising record.
The Restore YR campaign — led by New York State Young Republicans Chair Peter Giunta and endorsed by MAGA firebrands like Roger Stone and Rep. Elise Stefanik — had accused Padgett and his colleagues of being insufficiently supportive of President Donald Trump, allegations Padgett vehemently denies. While the incumbent leadership was ultimately able to hold its challengers at bay, the brawl offers a potential preview of Republican infighting that could hinder the GOP next year and in 2028 as the party seeks to find its post-Trump identity.
AD WATCH — 'The Billionaire Behind Mysterious Immigration Ads Targeting Miami Republicans,' by NYT's Patricia Mazzei.
FIRST IN SCORE — TECH CORNER: A number of left-leaning groups, led by Demand Progress, are sending a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday highlighting the Senate's recent AI moratorium vote, and asking Schumer to 'stand up for the people and push back against pressure from corporate giants that can afford to flood Congress with campaign contributions and lobbying cash.'
While the groups support the recent vote, they wrote that 'too often, including under your leadership, good legislation to rein in the industry's excesses dies because it never gets the chance of a public vote.'
CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'I think the Republican Party has turned its back on America First and the workers and just regular Americans,' MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told the Daily Mail's Jon Michael Raasch.
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