Latest news with #JaredGolden
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine delegation urges Trump administration to unfreeze digital equity grants
May 21—Maine's congressional delegation is urging the Commerce Department to reverse its freeze of nearly $35 million in grant funding intended to expand digital access for low-income and rural Mainers. In a letter sent to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and acting Administrator Adam Cassady Wednesday evening, the delegation noted that Maine is among the most rural states in the country, leaving its residents particularly vulnerable. "Maine is especially affected by this decision, which will have an outsized impact on Maine families, small businesses and communities. The programs created by the grants would ensure access across Maine to the necessary technology and skills to participate in the digital economy," states the letter signed by Reps. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, and Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent. The letter comes about two weeks after President Donald Trump said his administration would terminate the Digital Equity Act, which allocated more than $2 billion to help states and territories develop and implement plans to expand internet access. The act was included in the bipartisan infrastructure law, which former President Joe Biden signed in 2021. View this document on Scribd Trump announced his intention in a post on his Truth Social platform May 8, in which he called the act "totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL" and charged that it is "RACIST and ILLEGAL." The next day, the administration formally notified the Maine Connectivity Authority of the terminations. The authority, established in 2021, is the state office tasked with expanding broadband access and infrastructure throughout the state. Maine had already been approved for three different grants: $10 million to help expand internet and technology access throughout the state, including through a device donation program; $13.8 million to provide digital skills training, technical support and telehealth access; and $11 million that would offer tech and skills trainings to municipal governments, device programs and business support programs. "This funding would serve more than 40,000 Mainers throughout the state who continue to face significant challenges in securing and maintaining internet connectivity," the delegation wrote. "This funding is essential in our state, where more than half of older residents, small businesses, veterans, low-income households, tribal communities and students are in rural areas." Spokespeople for the Commerce Department did not return emails Wednesday night asking how its leadership responded to the letter. Golden, Pingree, Collins and King all criticized the cut when it was first announced. In concluding this week's letter, they called Maine's allocated funding "a smart investment." "Terminating these funds will increase the difficulties for individuals and families to use the internet to improve their lives and fully participate in an increasingly digital world," they wrote. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Jared Golden vows to stop Trump ally Paul LePage from entering Congress
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is passing on a potential statewide bid for governor or the Senate and instead will seek re-election in a key swing congressional district that Republicans are working to flip in the 2026 midterm elections. "I have decided the best way to continue serving the people of Maine is to do my part to restore balance in Congress by helping to win back the House of Representatives. My focus will remain on checking the extremes and putting working-class families first," Golden said Tuesday morning in a social media post, as he announced his re-election. Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a moderate Democrat who often bucks his own party in Congress. He has held the seat in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which is one of the most competitive in the nation, since first winning it in 2018. This Longtime Trump Ally And Former Gop Governor Aims To Flip Democrat-held Key Swing Congressional Seat Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And President Donald Trump carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points. Read On The Fox News App "While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the GOP majority runs through Maine," said the 42-year-old Golden, who had been floated as a potential gubernatorial or Senate candidate. House Gop, Aiming To Hold Majority, Touts This Key Metric As Republicans aim to defend their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, Golden's district is in their crosshairs. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said that "we look forward to making out-of-touch Democrat Jared Golden wish he ran for governor." But the top Democrats in House leadership countered that "Jared's dedication to representing all of his constituents — no matter their party affiliation — makes him uniquely suited to once again win one of the toughest seats in the country for Democrats to hold." "He's also helping Democrats flip Republican seats in competitive districts throughout America," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) added in a joint statement. Congressional Democrats Targeting These House Republicans In 2026 Midterm Battle Challenging Golden is former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is a major Trump supporter and ally. "I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress," Golden said in his announcement. LePage, in his first interview after announcing his candidacy earlier this month, told Fox News Digital, "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now." "Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in Lewiston, the Maine city where he was born and raised. LePage — the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state — was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago. "I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help," LePage told Fox article source: Rep. Jared Golden vows to stop Trump ally Paul LePage from entering Congress
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Rep. Jared Golden vows to stop Trump ally Paul LePage from entering Congress
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is passing on a potential statewide bid for governor or the Senate and instead will seek re-election in a key swing congressional district that Republicans are working to flip in the 2026 midterm elections. "I have decided the best way to continue serving the people of Maine is to do my part to restore balance in Congress by helping to win back the House of Representatives. My focus will remain on checking the extremes and putting working-class families first," Golden said Tuesday morning in a social media post, as he announced his re-election. Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a moderate Democrat who often bucks his own party in Congress. He has held the seat in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which is one of the most competitive in the nation, since first winning it in 2018. Golden won re-election by a razor-thin margin last year in the district, which is the second-most rural in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River. And President Donald Trump carried the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections by nine, seven and 10 points. "While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the GOP majority runs through Maine," said the 42-year-old Golden, who had been floated as a potential gubernatorial or Senate candidate. As Republicans aim to defend their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, Golden's district is in their crosshairs. National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said that "we look forward to making out-of-touch Democrat Jared Golden wish he ran for governor." But the top Democrats in House leadership countered that "Jared's dedication to representing all of his constituents — no matter their party affiliation — makes him uniquely suited to once again win one of the toughest seats in the country for Democrats to hold." "He's also helping Democrats flip Republican seats in competitive districts throughout America," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Chairman Pete Aguilar (CA-33) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) added in a joint statement. Challenging Golden is former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who is a major Trump supporter and ally. "I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress," Golden said in his announcement. LePage, in his first interview after announcing his candidacy earlier this month, told Fox News Digital, "I never, ever had any aspirations to go to Washington until now." "Donald Trump, I think, is doing what is necessary in addressing the debt this country is facing. And I think that's a big, big thing for me," LePage said as he was interviewed in Lewiston, the Maine city where he was born and raised. LePage — the brash and blunt politician who won over blue-collar workers struggling with economic woes, which helped the Republican businessman win election and re-election in the blue-leaning state — was one of the first major GOP elected officials to endorse Trump when the president first ran for the White House nearly a decade ago. "I have a friend in the White House right now. I know President Trump. I think I can have an audience of President Trump. I know several of his secretaries very well. And so I think this is a good time. It's a good time for me to go help," LePage told Fox News.
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Jared Golden opts for reelection bid over statewide campaign in Maine
Rep. Jared Golden, the Maine Democrat who has won a district that delivered its Electoral College vote to President Donald Trump, is running for reelection. Golden announced Tuesday that he would be running for reelection instead of seeking a statewide office, saying in a statement that "the surest way to restore balance in Washington is for Democrats to win back the House of Representatives." "While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the majority runs through Maine," Golden said. "And I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress." LePage, a Republican former governor, announced May 5 that he was running for the 2nd District House seat currently occupied by Golden. Golden is on Roll Call's list of the 10 most vulnerable House members, and Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the contest for the 2nd District Tilt Democratic. The Maine governor's race is an open-seat contest, with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills being term-limited, and that contest is attracting a crowded field. All signs point toward Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Appropriations Committee, running for reelection in 2026 as well. "It's certainly my inclination to run, and I'm preparing to do so," Collins told CNN earlier this month. Austin Theriault, who lost to Golden in the 2024 election, which went to a recount, announced Monday that he would not run for the House seat again. "After a lot of thought, I've decided that a crowded, divisive primary hurts our party and most importantly our chances to win in November. Thus, I will not be running for the Republican nomination for Maine's second Congressional district. We must win Maine's second congressional district," Theriault said in a statement. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Golden running for reelection in Maine, forgoing statewide bid
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) announced Tuesday he is running for reelection in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, opting out of a statewide campaign. 'While I have considered many options for how best to continue serving the people of Maine, I have decided to run for re-election because the surest way to restore balance in Washington is for Democrats to win back the House of Representatives,' Golden said in a statement. 'While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the GOP majority runs through Maine,' he continued. 'I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress,' he added, referring to Maine's former Republican governor who is running for the seat. Golden had previously been floated as a potential candidate for governor or Senate, which are both up for grabs in the state in 2026. Maine's 2nd District is considered one of the most competitive in the country. Golden narrowly won the seat by less than a point in 2024, while President Trump won it by 10 points. Golden is considered one of the most moderate Democratic members. He notably broke with his party earlier this year when he voted with House Republicans on a GOP spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
