Two Vie In GOP Faceoff In Maine With Hopes of Unseating Golden

AUGUSTA, Maine — The primary this Tuesday in Maine’s northernmost congressional district is worth watching as two Republicans vie for the chance to face Democratic incumbent Jared Golden in November.

Former Rep. Bruce Poliquin — who is running for an opportunity to return to his old seat in Congress — is vying against the 15-year Caratunk Selectwoman Liz Caruso in the only contested federal primary race.

Already on the November ballot is Tiffany Bond, an attorney from Portland, who will be running for the seat as an Independent.

Whoever wins Tuesday’s race will challenge two-term Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.
Poliquin narrowly lost in 2018 to the Democrat. It was the first federal race after the state approved ranked-choice voting in 2016.

In 2020, the district voted for Trump with 52.5% of the vote. However, Golden beat former Republican Maine state Rep. Dale Crafts with 53% of the vote.

The redistricting because of the 2020 census nearly knocked Poliquin out of the race because he lived on the southern border of the district. However, he moved to the Bangor area in the fall of 2021 to stay in the district he represented between 2015 and 2019.

In an interview with the local radio station Voice of Maine, he announced his move, explaining that he could better serve the large district that can take as much as eight hours to traverse.

“This makes much more sense to better serve my constituents, if the voters want me back,” Poliquin said during his September 2021 radio interview.

Both Poliquin’s and Caruso’s campaigns are highlighting national conservative issues, including saying they are against teaching critical race theory.

Caruso highlights issues about education on her own campaign website along with her choice to homeschool her two sons, both of whom are in college.

Poliquin speaks more about economic issues on his campaign website.

And the former congressman isn’t the only former politician looking to retake his seat in the state. Former Gov. Paul LePage is running for a third term against current Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat.

LePage served from 2011 to 2019, but could not run because the state constitution doesn’t allow governors to seek a third consecutive term.

Poliquin and Caruso’s campaigns were contacted for comment multiple times but have not responded. This story will be updated with any response.

Madeline can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @ByMaddieHughes