Jared Golden criticizes reporter for asking if he’ll vote in presidential election

By Paul Koenig, Bangor Daily News Staff

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District called out a newspaper reporter in a statement Friday for asking if he would vote in the presidential election and if he would unenroll from the Democratic Party.

Golden, who announced Thursday afternoon that he wouldn’t be endorsing anyone in the presidential race, said in the Friday statement that the questions from a Portland Press Herald reporter were biased and politically motivated.

Before announcing he wouldn’t endorse anyone, the third-term congressman from Lewison had faced repeated questions on whether he would support his party’s ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The Press Herald reporter, according to the statement, asked if Golden would vote in the presidential election, who he would vote for, why he’s still registered as a Democrat and if it’s possible he would unenroll from the party after the November election.

“This is the type of reporting that leads so many Americans to talk of the ‘fake news media,’ having lost faith in the institution as a valuable source of information,” Golden said, using a phrase popularized by former President Donald Trump when referring to unfavorable media coverage.

Golden is facing state Rep. Austin Theriault, a Fort Kent Republican and former NASCAR driver endorsed by Trump.

Golden said he has championed causes supported by his party and that “unlike the GOP, the Democratic Party is not a cult of personality.”