Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, said Thursday he won’t endorse his party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Let me be as clear as I can be. I will not be endorsing in the presidential race,” Golden said in a written statement late Thursday afternoon. “The reason is simple: I am running to represent all the people of this district, regardless of who they vote for at the top of the ticket.

“As I have always done, I will fight for Mainers no matter who occupies the White House. I am running to earn their vote on the merits, whether they support Harris, Trump, or none of the above. No matter who you vote for, there is room for you on Team Golden.”

Golden is seeking reelection in the conservative district, which supported former President Donald Trump in 2016 and in 2020. Trump has endorsed Golden’s opponent, State Rep. Austin Theriault, R-Fort Kent.

Golden has said he didn’t plan to vote for Trump, but also has distanced himself from his party and criticized Democratic policies in television campaign ads.

Mario Moretto, a spokesperson for Golden, did not respond to questions about whether the representative would vote for Harris – or at all – in the upcoming election.

Golden has been hounded with questions from news reporters and criticism from Republicans about his reluctance to take a stand in the presidential election.

Last month, when President Biden was still in the race against Trump, Golden authored a newspaper opinion column predicting Biden would lose and saying he would work with Trump.

“While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win,” Golden wrote. “And I’m OK with that.”

Then, when Biden stepped aside and Harris became the presumptive nominee, Golden refused to say if he would support her.

In late July, he told a reporter for Axios that he is “absolutely not” committed to backing Harris and had to first hear more about her vision for the country.

His brief written statement Thursday did not provide any further explanation about why he’s not endorsing Harris.

Austin Theriault’s campaign was quick to criticize Golden’s statement Thursday evening. In a news release, Theriault’s campaign said Golden was “flip-flopping on Kamala Harris AGAIN” after previously saying he might consider her after learning more about her policy platform.

“Jared Golden isn’t being honest or straight with the voters of Maine,” said Shawn Roderick, Theriault’s campaign manager. “We have a right to know who Jared is voting for – regardless of who he’s endorsing or not endorsing. Jared Golden has worked with VP Harris for four years. So is he voting for her? It’s a simple yes or no question.”