Retiring Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine has crossed party lines to endorse vulnerable Republican Representative Mike Lawler in New York's highly competitive 17th Congressional District. Golden praised Lawler's bipartisan record, specifically citing his support for Maine's lobster industry. The move has provoked intense anger among House Democrats, who are fighting to flip the seat. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the endorsement as a desperate, 11th-hour ploy, while a Democratic super PAC immediately injected $2.45 million into the local media market.
Golden endorsement of Lawler
- ▪Retiring Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine endorsed Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York for reelection on September 21, 2026
- ▪Representative Jared Golden published his endorsement of Representative Mike Lawler in an op-ed for the Rockland County local newspaper, The Journal News, on September 21, 2026
Bipartisan legislative collaboration
- ▪Representative Jared Golden cited Representative Mike Lawler's co-sponsorship of the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, which delays federal lobster regulations until 2035, as a key reason for his endorsement of Lawler's reelection bid in New York's 17th Congressional District
- ▪Representative Jared Golden highlighted Representative Mike Lawler's support for a bill overturning the repeal of federal union rights and an effort to restore expired Obamacare subsidies as evidence of Lawler's bipartisan problem-solving
Democratic Party backlash
- ▪House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed Representative Jared Golden's endorsement of Representative Mike Lawler as a desperate, 11th-hour smoke-and-mirrors ploy from a retiring member representing a district 400 miles away
- ▪Following Representative Jared Golden's endorsement of Representative Mike Lawler for reelection in New York's 17th Congressional District, the House Democrats' main super PAC, House Majority PAC, reserved an additional $2.45 million for cable television advertisements in the New York City media market
- ▪Representative Jared Golden's endorsement of Representative Mike Lawler sparked anger within the House Democratic caucus, with anonymous lawmakers warning it would create suspicion and political blowback for Golden's close ally, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
NY-17 competitive race dynamics
- ▪Representative Mike Lawler is running for a third term in New York's 17th Congressional District against Democratic challenger Cait Conley, a former Army officer and National Security Council staffer
- ▪New York's 17th Congressional District is a highly competitive swing seat that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris narrowly won by less than one percentage point in the 2024 election
Golden's maverick political profile
- ▪Representative Jared Golden twice voted with House Republicans on procedural rules in September 2026 to help GOP leadership advance their legislative agenda, drawing criticism from Democratic leadership
- ▪Representative Jared Golden announced in 2025 that he would not seek reelection to Maine's 2nd Congressional District, a rural seat that Donald Trump won by 9 percentage points in 2024
Debatable claims
- ▪House Democrats should penalize members who vote with Republicans on procedural rules
- ▪The federal government should delay lobster regulations to protect the fishing industry
Story comments
Loading comments…