Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) shut down any rumors that he’s interested in running for Senate as Democratic front-runner Graham Platner faces yet another controversy.
“I’m not going to be a candidate for the United States Senate in 2026,” Golden told the Washington Examiner. “I can assure you of that.”
A New York Times article published Thursday detailed new allegations against Platner in which multiple women called his actions intimidating, disturbing, and sometimes aggressive. His campaign disputed many of the allegations.
Platner has also been plagued for the majority of his campaign by a controversial tattoo that he claimed he did not know resembled the Nazi Totenkopf symbol.
Platner, an oyster farmer in Maine, was not the party establishment’s preferred candidate, but a significant fundraising advantage and strong local support forced Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) out of the race, making Platner the presumptive nominee to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
Mills recently flirted with the idea she could resume her campaign, as her name will appear on Tuesday’s ballot, but she has so far not taken any meaningful steps to resurrect her Senate bid.
But even as Platner remains the clear front-runner, the Washington rumor mill has run rampant on who could replace Platner if he were to step aside. Among those floated has been Golden, a House Democrat retiring at the end of this term.
When asked if he would ever be interested in a Senate run, Golden gave an unequivocal “it’s a no, for sure.”
Golden also condemned the idea that the Democratic Party would handpick a candidate if Platner secured the nomination and then dropped out.
“I think that, in general, Maine voters are smart, and they got to make their own choices, and once they’ve made their choice, it’s never good luck to take a nominee and replace him with someone else,” Golden said.
While Platner is expected to overwhelmingly win the Democratic primary, Democrats could, in theory, replace him after the primary. Under state law, Platner can withdraw his bid by July 13, and the Maine Democratic Party would nominate his replacement.
Golden told the Washington Examiner that no members of Senate party leadership had reached out to him to inquire about his interest, chalking the chatter up to social media.
GRAHAM PLATNER HIT BY FRESH WAVE OF ALLEGATIONS ABOUT TREATMENT OF WOMEN AND NAZI TATTOO
“I think I must be like the only person in the world who’s too busy to be talking about Graham Platner today,” Golden said. “I’m actually going to fight off a proposal to send the building of our warfighter ships to foreign yards. I don’t have time to talk about Graham Platner today. I don’t spend too much time thinking about him either.”
Maine is one of the most competitive Senate seats in the country, and defeating Collins is critical for any path for Democrats to retake the majority.