Jared Golden to retire from House in 2026 | JQJO

Representative Jared Golden of Maine, a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition and the Democrat in the House with the most Republican-leaning district, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election in 2026. In a Bangor Daily News essay, the retired Marine cited rising incivility, threats to his family—including spending last Thanksgiving in a hotel—as reasons, not politics. Golden, a frequent party dissenter and the lone Democrat to back a Republican-led plan to keep the government open in September, urged open primaries. His early exit likely shifts this tossup seat toward Republicans.