1. Jared Forrest Golden was born on July 25,1982 and is an American politician and Marine Corps veteran serving as the US representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district since 2019.
37 Facts About Jared Golden
1. 2.
Jared Golden's district was carried by Donald Trump in both the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, making it a politically competitive area.
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Jared Golden is the only representative to win after initially placing second in the first round of tabulation.
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Jared Golden was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a United States Marine.
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Jared Golden was born in Lewiston, Maine, and raised in Leeds.
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Jared Golden attended Leavitt Area High School before enrolling at the University of Maine at Farmington, but left after a year to join the United States Marine Corps in 2002.
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Jared Golden served with the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Marines, completing two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Jared Golden rose to the rank of corporal and received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his performance during Operation Steel Curtain.
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Jared Golden then worked for an international logistics firm before joining the staff of Republican senator Susan Collins on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
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Jared Golden returned to Maine in 2013 to work for the House Democratic Office in the Maine Legislature.
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Jared Golden chaired the Elections Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Joint Rules.
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Jared Golden is the first challenger to unseat an incumbent in the district since 1916.
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Jared Golden filed a lawsuit in federal court to have ranked-choice voting declared unconstitutional and to have himself declared the winner.
14.
Poliquin appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and requested an order to prevent Jared Golden from being certified as the winner, but the request was rejected.
15.
Jared Golden ran for reelection in 2020 and won the Democratic primary unopposed.
16.
Jared Golden ran for reelection in 2022 and won the Democratic primary unopposed.
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Jared Golden faced former Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin, whom he narrowly beat in 2018, and independent Tiffany Bond, who ran for the 2nd congressional district seat in 2018.
18.
Jared Golden's district was again concurrently carried by Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election in Maine.
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Jared Golden voted in 2019 for Article I of the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump but was one of three Democrats to vote against Article II.
20.
Jared Golden endorsed Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado during the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
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Jared Golden is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
22.
Jared Golden was one of two Democrats to vote with Republicans against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
23.
Jared Golden criticized the lack of further negotiations since the bill's initial passage.
24.
Jared Golden was one of two House Democrats, alongside Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, to side with Republicans in voting to overturn President Biden's student loan debt cancellation plan of 2023.
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Jared Golden was the only Democrat to oppose the Bipartisan Background Checks Act which aimed to expand background checks for gun purchases.
26.
Jared Golden was one of two Democrats, along with Ron Kind of Wisconsin, to vote against the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, which sought to close the Charleston loophole.
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Later that year, Jared Golden joined Republicans and four other Democrats in voting against a bill that proposed banning assault weapons.
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However, after the 2023 Lewiston shootings in his hometown, where 18 people were killed, Jared Golden changed his stance.
29.
Jared Golden apologized and called for a federal ban on assault weapons.
30.
In 2025, Jared Golden was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.
31.
Jared Golden was the only House Democrat to vote with Republicans against the Build Back Better Act, citing concerns about the elimination of the $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction and the lack of prescription drug pricing reform.
32.
Jared Golden voted in 2022 for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and federally protected same-sex and interracial marriages.
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Jared Golden was one of four Democrats to join with the majority of House Republicans to pass the annual defense policy bill, which included provisions barring Pentagon funding for abortion and transgender surgeries.
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Jared Golden has received an "A" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his voting record on cannabis-related legislation.
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Jared Golden expressed concern that the law's labeling requirements would not prevent international companies from misbranding products, potentially harming Maine businesses.
36.
Jared Golden voiced skepticism about enforcement, citing the US's poor track record with previous trade agreements in protecting workers.
37.
Jared Golden has several tattoos from his time in the military, including a Celtic cross on his forearm and a "devil dog" which represents his Marine unit.