Rep. Jared Golden, left, will face Republican challenger Austin Theriault in November in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal and Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file photos

A clash over who is the bigger defender of gun rights flared up this week in the high-stakes race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

Opponents of NRA-endorsed Republican challenger Austin Theriault have circulated a 2023 incident report, saying that he called police on a man exercising his Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden was among the Democrats who used the report to question Theriault’s commitment to gun rights, which are likely to be a key issue in a closely watched toss-up race that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives. The sprawling 2nd District – the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River – is largely rural and more conservative than other parts of the state and has a strong culture and tradition of hunting and gun ownership.

Theriault, a former NASCAR driver and first-term state lawmaker, called the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office in January 2023 to report a man carrying an AR-15 on his own property, the police report shows.

Theriault did not provide police with an address for the person, who is described in the report as “walking onto his front porch holding an AR-15,” and did not report any possible crimes, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Press Herald.

“Austin disclosed no information that (led) me to believe any criminal conduct was committed,” the police report stated. “Cleared nothing further.”

Maine is a constitutional carry state, meaning permits are not needed to own or carry firearms in public, whether they are concealed or not.

The report became public this week and was the focus of a report Monday by HuffPost, a liberal news website. The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the authenticity of the police report and said the responding officer was not available to speak to a reporter.

The police report gave pause to one of the state’s three gun rights groups, which said it would look into the incident. The group later said it was satisfied with the explanation by Theriault’s campaign.

A spokesman for the Theriault campaign did not respond to a request to speak to Theriault and said it was “totally pathetic” that the Press Herald asked about the incident.

A campaign spokesperson told the Press Herald that Theriault told police he had witnessed an apparent altercation, though no mention of a fight or confrontation was included in the police report.

“Austin witnessed an individual with a gun in what appeared to be an altercation with a group,” campaign manager Shawn Roderick said in a written statement released through a spokesperson. “As any concerned citizen would do, Austin notified the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and is thankful nothing came of it.”

Theriault is looking to unseat Golden, who is finishing his third term in Congress. The Republican has criticized Golden for his statements in support of restricting assault-style weapons after the mass shooting in Golden’s hometown of Lewiston.

Golden, a former Marine, needled Theriault on X, formerly Twitter, after the HuffPost article was published.

“Didn’t realize that calling the cops on Mainers for possessing a gun on their own property could earn you an NRA endorsement,” Golden said. “Weird.”

Golden suggested in a written statement Tuesday that Theriault’s explanation about why he called police didn’t hold water.

“The whole thing is a little strange,” Golden said. “A lot of us carry firearms and most of us wouldn’t call the cops unless we knew something was up. I can’t speak for what Austin thought he saw or what law enforcement had to say about it. The balance between individual rights and public safety is often nuanced and not to be taken lightly, and that has been my approach to the 2nd Amendment all along.”

Theriault’s campaign manager accused Golden of pushing the story. A Golden spokesperson denied that accusation, and it was not clear Tuesday who circulated the report to the media.

“Jared Golden’s the one pushing this non-story, and we get that he’s sore that the NRA and gun groups across Maine have endorsed Austin, not him,” Roderick said.

“So we’re happy to educate him a bit: gun owners are able to both support the Second Amendment and notify law enforcement when someone appears they are about to use a firearm unlawfully. Jared Golden clearly thinks so little of gun owners – the same group he now pathetically is trying to get back.”

Golden has found himself on the outs with gun rights groups ever since he publicly dropped his opposition to an assault weapons ban one day after the mass shooting in Lewiston. A gunman used a semiautomatic assault-style weapon to kill 18 people and wound 13 others during a shooting spree at two locations – a bowling alley and a bar.

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime,” Golden said at a news conference last year. “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the U.S. Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine.

“For the good of my community,” he said, “I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress.”

Theriault received an “A” grade and endorsement from the National Rifle Association and an “A” grade from the Gun Owners of Maine, which does not endorse candidates. Golden, who got a B from the NRA in 2022, received an “F” from each group in the wake of his assault weapon pledge.

GUN GROUPS NOT SWAYED

Gun Owners of Maine President Laura Whitcomb said in a phone interview Tuesday that she was reevaluating Theriault’s grade, which is given after a review of voting records, questionnaires and public statements, and reaching out to the Theriault campaign about the police report.

“Certainly we will evaluate what actually transpired and what actually caused the police report to be filed,” Whitcomb said. “If I feel his grade needs to be changed in order to accurately reflect the facts of the matter, then certainly we will do so.”

Whitcomb texted a reporter a short time later to say she talked to the campaign and would not be changing Theriault’s grade. She said the campaign told her the police report was incomplete.

Justin Davis, who represents the NRA in Maine, did not respond to questions about whether the group was reconsidering its endorsement in response to the report.

The third and perhaps most influential gun rights group, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, has not released its candidate scorecard.

But the group responded this week to a Golden campaign event touting endorsements from sportsmen of Maine.

“Setting the record straight!” the group posted Monday. “We have not released our grades or endorsements. Today’s announcement of sportsmen for Golden has nothing to do with SAM. We have not endorsed Jared Golden and don’t plan on endorsing him. Please share.”