The candidates in Maine’s hotly contested 2nd Congressional District faced off Thursday on issues including the economy, gun control and abortion in the first of three scheduled debates.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and Republican state Rep. Austin Theriault both began the debate by arguing they are the candidate most willing to break ranks and vote against their parties when it helps their district.

“I’m going to work with whoever is in the White House, whether it’s Kamala Harris or Donald Trump,” said Golden, who has voted against his party more than any other House Democrat and has said he would not endorse Harris for president.

Theriault said that during his one term in the Maine House of Representatives, “I was one of the most bipartisan members.” Theriault has been endorsed by Trump, and said Thursday he supports him but doesn’t agree with everything he says or does.

Golden, of Lewiston, is seeking a fourth term and is being challenged by Theriault, who is from Fort Kent.

The 2nd District race is being closely watched nationally along with a handful of other swing district races around the country that could determine which party controls the House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold a slight majority. Several national election forecasters list the race as a toss-up, including Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections.

Thursday’s debate was hosted by CBS13 and the Bangor Daily News and came a little over a month before Election Day on Nov. 5.

In response to a viewer question about how the lives of everyday people can be improved amid high costs and inflation, Theriault said energy costs are driving inflation and that lawmakers in Washington, D.C., “voted for things like the wasteful tax credits and green energy schemes in the Inflation Reduction Act.”

“I’m going to go to work on Day 1 and look at reforming our energy policies so that we can bring more American energy online … and we don’t have to spend billions of dollars on the backs of the middle class,” Theriault said.

Golden, who supported the Inflation Reduction Act, defended his support for the law, saying it has helped the country produce more oil and gas, reduced health care costs and provided a tax credit for a former paper mill in Madison to allow it to bring back jobs as a producer of wood fiber insulation.

“Austin wants to cherry pick the things in that bill he wants to attack me on, but he’s completely ignoring the things in that bill that have been good for lowering prices for Mainers, whether it’s gas, insurance, you name it,” Golden said.

The candidates also sparred over other key issues Thursday, including fishing regulations, gun control and abortion.

Theriault said there is a “gray zone” where lobstermen have brought up concerns about unfair competition with Canada. “They feel like our federal officials … have failed us and failed to negotiate more accountability when it comes to making sure our American lobstermen have more area to fish,” he said.

He said the U.S. needs to “sit down with Canada and say, ‘We need to fix this,’ ” and said he would support funding for enforcement in the area.

Golden, meanwhile, said there are already efforts being carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard to prevent illegal fishing. “It has nothing to do with myself or anyone in the delegation,” Golden said. “Austin is trying to deflect from my positive record as it relates to the fishermen.”

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

On abortion, Theriault said he is not in favor of a federal ban on abortion and wants voters in each state to be able to decide the issue. He said he supports in vitro fertilization and contraception, as well as things that will help families, like increased access to child care.

“We need to drive down inflation so people feel like they can raise a family,” Theriault said.

Golden said he is “100% in support of women’s reproductive freedom and I support their right to choose to have an abortion.”

The candidates also were asked about gun control and whether there is more that should be done in the wake of the mass shooting in Lewiston last year that left 18 people dead and 13 others injured.

Golden, who called for a ban on assault weapons in the wake of the shooting, said Thursday that he believes his record reflects a balance between individual rights and public safety.

“It’s true, I used to oppose an assault weapons ban,” he said. “After 18 people were murdered and 13 wounded in Lewiston, I had a change of heart. It’s plain and simple. At the end of the day, it called into question certain beliefs I had. Are we actually any safer with these firearms?”

Theriault, meanwhile, spoke about the need for greater investments in mental health and touted his A+ rating from the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine, a group that advocates for gun owners and hunters. The Sportsman’s Alliance also downgraded Golden’s A+ rating from 2022 to a C this year, citing his new stance on an assault weapons ban.

Theriault said the existing yellow flag law in Maine could have been used to stop the Lewiston shooting.

“Jared’s flip-flop on this issue would not have addressed and solved this problem and stopped it from happening,” Theriault said.

But Golden pointed out that Theriault voted against Gov. Janet Mills’ supplemental budget in this year’s legislative session, a bill that included millions of dollars in investments for mental health and the hiring of more state police in the wake of the shooting.

THE TRUMP FACTOR

The sprawling 2nd District, which encompasses much of central and northern Maine, poses a challenge for Golden because it has also supported Trump in the last two presidential elections. In both 2016 and 2020 Trump won one of Maine’s four electoral votes after winning the 2nd District.

Golden has said he doesn’t plan to vote for Trump but has also said he won’t endorse Harris. When asked Thursday why voters shouldn’t know who he is voting for, Golden said he doesn’t think voters need a politician telling them whom to vote for.

“All I want people to understand is, if you’re voting for Donald Trump, if you’re voting for Kamala Harris or someone else, I want your vote to be your representative in Washington based on the merits of the job I’ve done the last six years,” he said.

Through June 30, Golden’s campaign raised nearly $4.8 million and had nearly $3.3 million on hand, while Theriault’s campaign had raised nearly $1.8 million and had nearly $900,000 on hand, according to the most recently available campaign finance reports.

Millions of dollars have also flowed into Maine from out-of-state groups to pay for television ads and other campaign activity. In August, The Associated Press reported that independent groups have reserved nearly $16 million in airtime through the election.

About a dozen outside groups unaffiliated with either campaign have so far spent about $6.8 million on the race, according to the most recent campaign finance reports from the Federal Election Commission.

While Golden and Theriault are the only two candidates whose names will be listed on ballots, the race is being conducted using ranked choice voting because there is a declared write-in, Diana Merenda, of Surry. Voters will see three rows on the ballot, including one for a write-in, with the option to rank all three.

Golden and Theriault are scheduled to meet again for a debate Monday hosted by News Center Maine and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, and Wednesday for a debate hosted by WABI-TV and WAGM-TV.

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