NEW: Democrat Congressman Stuns Party, Endorses GOP Colleague

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is breaking with his party again, this time to help a Republican colleague keep his seat in a battleground New York district.

The retiring Maine congressman endorsed Rep. Mike Lawler for reelection in a Monday opinion piece in The Journal News, giving the vulnerable Republican a rare cross-party boost against Democrat Cait Conley.

The Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the Hudson Valley district in 2024, and Kalshi bettors put Conley’s chances of winning at 61% as of Sunday.

Golden’s endorsement follows two other splits with Democratic leaders this month. He backed procedural votes ahead of House passage of a lobster industry bill and a package of sanctions against Russia.

Now, the Democrat is making the case that Lawler deserves another term, citing their work together and Lawler’s ranking as the House’s fourth-most bipartisan member.

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Golden credited the New York Republican with helping restore collective bargaining rights for federal workers and extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. But he also pointed to a fight with particular importance to his home state: Maine’s lobster industry.

Lawler supported the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, which would extend a pause on federal whale-protection rules that the industry has long challenged. The House approved the bill this month with bipartisan backing.

For Golden, that support illustrated Lawler’s willingness to take up an issue with little political reward back home.

“He got no votes in this and no headlines back home,” Golden wrote. “He signed on because a historic American industry, thousands of fishing families, and the principle that federal rules should be built on facts were all on the line.”

Golden represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District and is not seeking a fifth term.

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