The key moments in the 2nd District debate between Jared Golden and Austin Theriault

By Billy Kobin, Bangor Daily News Staff

From the economy to lobster and abortion, the first debate between U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and state Rep. Austin Theriault, R-Fort Kent, in their 2nd District race covered a lot of ground Thursday evening.

Both Golden, a Democrat and Marine veteran first elected in 2018, and Theriault, a freshman state lawmaker and former NASCAR driver, had plenty to gain — or lose — in Thursday’s debate as they try to win over a small share of undecided voters ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The 2nd District race has drawn national attention in part because Golden is one of the few Democrats who has won areas former President Donald Trump carried in 2016 and 2020. Theriault, who is endorsed by Trump, led Golden by 47 percent to 44 percent in the first and only public poll of the race last month that had 9 percent of voters as undecided.

Here are a few takeaways from Thursday’s debate hosted by the Bangor Daily News and CBS 13, with two more debates scheduled for next week.

They repeatedly sparred over the Inflation Reduction Act and lobstering

The start of the debate featured the two men essentially both saying they are independent-minded lawmakers not afraid to buck their own parties. 

They touched on the well-covered issue of supporting Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. Golden, 42, has said he will not vote for Trump while also saying he would not endorse any candidate. Nothing changed on that front Thursday. Theriault, 30, frequently touted Trump’s endorsement during his primary campaign but has since noticeably mentioned the former president less and did not bring him up often during the debate.

The meatier part of Thursday’s debate came when the pair sparred over the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s sweeping climate, tax and health care legislation that passed in 2022 and that researchers have estimated will cost as much as $1 trillion while yielding at least $5 trillion in global economic benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Golden voted for the legislation while noting Thursday he opposed other high-profile spending bills. Theriault focused on the law’s provisions that fund offshore wind to argue development of that will imperil right whales, though the act also funds right whale protections and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs that Theriault argued hurt lobstermen.

Golden said he opposes offshore wind and lobstermen support him, and Maine’s congressional delegation tucked a six-year freeze on right whale regulations into a federal spending bill in 2022 that also gave money to the NOAA, a point Golden made to show Theriault was glossing over tough decisions needed on omnibus bills.

“This is kind of like a, ‘Heads, he wins. Tails, I lose,’ type of proposition,” Golden said. “If I voted against that funding bill, which blocked those regulations, he’d be criticizing me for voting no.”

Golden also noted the Inflation Reduction Act is resulting in lower drug prices and Medicare savings for thousands of Mainers. Theriault said he supports those aspects but bashed the law for including “pork” spending.

They differ on abortion, though Theriault said he opposes national ban.

Abortion has remained one of the biggest issues nationally since the U.S. Supreme Court, with a conservative majority cemented by Trump, overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and various conservative-led states responded by implementing bans or restrictions on the procedure.

Democrats have put Republicans under pressure on abortion, especially amid Trump’s waffling on the issue. Golden condemned the Supreme Court’s decision and alluded Thursday to his consistent support for reproductive rights.

Theriault welcomed the overturning of Roe v. Wade but said before his 2022 State House election he supported keeping Maine’s liberal abortion laws in place at the time before opposing more expansions last year. Theriault said Thursday he would oppose a national abortion ban.

He then said there is “certainly more that we agree on than we disagree on” with abortion before making a comment Golden’s campaign seized on after the debate.

“Let’s get back to the issues that matter,” Theriault said.

They had different responses to the Lewiston mass shooting.

Golden came out in support of an assault-style weapons ban he previously opposed after the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in his hometown of Lewiston that left 18 dead and 13 injured in Maine’s deadliest-ever rampage. Theriault seized on that to argue Golden has “flip-flopped” on guns and other issues while pointing to gun-rights groups endorsing him over Golden.

Golden defended his stance Thursday while noting he has opposed other gun-control legislation in Congress. Theriault has vaguely called for “massive” mental health investments. 

Asked for more specifics Thursday, Theriault said he would want to “double” Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funding. Golden replied that Theriault and legislative Republicans voted against a state budget addition this year featuring various mental health investments after the Lewiston shooting.

They’re together on tariffs amid economic squabbling.

Golden and Theriault each agree on increasing tariffs in a bid to support manufacturers in Maine. But that hasn’t stopped them from needling one another, with Theriault blaming Golden and Democrats for higher costs of certain goods and noting Golden said in 2018 he did not support tariffs. 

Golden has said Theriault should realize “what worked yesterday may not work today.” Golden introduced a bill to implement Trump’s idea to add 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods, which the Tax Foundation said would equal a $300 million annual tax hike and could threaten more than 800,000 jobs if other countries retaliate. While Theriault said he supports the 10 percent rate, he suggested steel and lumber may need different tariffs.