Jan. 16—Maine’s 2nd Congressional District was one of only 16 districts nationwide where voters elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from a different political party than their preferred presidential candidate, tying a 24-year low set four years ago, according to a national report.
Such ticket splitting within a single district has become increasingly rare amid the hyper-polarization of the country. A report by Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a program run by the University of Virginia that provides political analysis, shows just how unusual the 2nd District is among the country’s 435 congressional districts.
Rep. Jared Golden was one of 13 Democrats to win in a district carried by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is slated to be sworn into office for his second, nonconsecutive term on Monday.
Only three Republicans carried districts that voted for the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“This is the first presidential election since 2008 in which Democrats won more of these crossover seats than Republicans,” wrote Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
Golden eked out a victory in the most pro-Trump district of those that split their votes in 2024. Trump defeated Harris by 9.5 percentage points in the 2nd District in November, while Golden edged his Republican challenger, former state Representative Austin Theriault, by less than 1%.
“Among all members, Golden holds the district that is most hostile to his party, at least based on 2024 presidential voting (and Trump won the electoral vote from this district in all 3 of his elections),” Kondik wrote.
Golden achieved his win in part by distancing himself from his own party’s presidential ticket.
His first television commercial described President Joe Biden as unfit for office and highlighted ways he would work with Republicans. He penned an Op-Ed that predicted that Trump would win and Democracy would survive — a message directly in contrast with the national party line.
When Biden was replaced by Harris, Golden refused to say whom he would vote for, saying he would work with anybody to further the interests of his district.
The 2024 elections represent the fewest number of crossover districts since 2020, when nine Republicans won in Biden districts and seven Democrats, including Golden, won in Trump districts.
In the 2023 midterms, there were 23 crossover districts, 18 of which were won by Republican House candidates, he wrote.
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