Former Maine Gov. LePage Announces Bid for Congress

Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who has reportedly described himself as "Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular," announced on Monday he'll running for Congress in a politically mixed district next year.

NBC10 Boston reported that LePage, a Republican, filed the paperwork Sunday night to run for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat, which is held by Democrat Rep. Jared Golden.

Voters in the 2nd District have elected Golden to four consecutive terms, while also supporting all three of President Donald Trump's White House bids.

In a Monday statement obtained by NBC10, LePage said that "entrenched interests are fighting President Trump at every turn as he works to fix problems" and vowed to combat "extreme woke policies that defy common sense," protect the Second Amendment, and create jobs.

LePage, 76, served as governor of the Pine Tree State from 2011 to 2019 before losing the 2022 governor's race.

As governor, LePage's inflammatory comments often drew national attention, with remarks about drug dealers from outside the state getting "young white" girls pregnant and regarding a political rival that he accused of giving "it to the people without providing Vaseline."

Golden is focused on protecting Maine's fishing communities, fighting GOP-led healthcare cuts, and working to expand jobs at the Bath Iron Works shipyard, his spokesperson told NBC10.

"I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement," Golden said in a Monday statement.

After leaving the governor's residence in 2019, LePage relocated to Florida and has since reestablished residency in Maine. Had his 2022 bid against Democrat Gov. Janet Mills been successful, LePage would have been Maine's longest-serving governor.

Regardless of the names that will appear on the ballot, the 2nd Congressional District will be one of the House's most closely watched races in 2026 because Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the chamber and the district is highly competitive. Golden won his last reelection in November by less than 3,000 votes.

House Republicans are projecting confidence about their chances of painting the district red this election cycle.

"Republicans will win here next year whether this race is against Jared Golden or any other out-of-touch Democrat," Maureen O'Toole, a spokeswoman for the House Republicans' campaign arm, said in a statement obtained by The Hill. "Mainers are sick and tired of Democrats' radical agenda that raises taxes, puts criminal illegal immigrants first, and prioritizes far-left gender ideology over common sense."