Vice President Kamala Harris is not enjoying a clean sweep of endorsements by Democratic Party leaders, with one congressman making a notable departure on Friday.
Congressman Jared Golden (D-ME), who has been a reliable supporter on Capitol Hill for President Joe Biden, refused to throw his support behind the new nominee on the same day that former President Barack Obama endorsed her, joining a slew of other major figures in the party. The Maine Democrat told a Portland TV station that he is “absolutely not” prepared to support Harris just when she needs it most; making matters worse, he was one of six Democrats to join all House Republicans in voting to condemn the veep for her failures as the administration’s border czar.
While he waits to see “what her vision for the future of the country is,” Rep. Golden said in a statement that Harris must work to earn the trust of Maine voters, especially as it appears she is on a glide path to secure the party’s nomination without a serious challenge at next month’s convention in Chicago. “I expect to have to work to earn Mainers’ votes and our candidates for President should expect the same. Kamala Harris has been a candidate for president for less than a week, and I look forward to learning more about what kind of leader she would be,” he told WGME.
Austin Theriault, a Republican challenger supported by President Trump, blasted his rival for flip-flopping on his support for the top of the ticket and comparing his ambiguous statement to previous positions he’s taken on border bills. “First, Golden flip-flopped on the border, then he took the position of every other slippery Washington politician who refuses to disclose who they’re supporting for President.”
Rep. Golden’s campaign shot back, “The truth is Jared Golden has a strong record of voting to strengthen border security, pushing his own party to take the chaos at the southern border seriously and supporting law enforcement efforts to find and deal with illegal migrants and stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into American communities.”
The Trump campaign is working to rapidly pivot toward a new, more effective line of attack against Harris after spending months preparing for the likelihood of facing President Biden who dropped out of the race on Sunday. House leaders have warned caucus members of referring to Harris, the first Black woman to represent a major party at the top of the ticket, as a “DEI” candidate, arguing it will backfire with minority voters who are supporting Trump in record numbers. The Trump campaign is oscillating between attacks on Harris aimed at her border record, her record as a prosecutor and as the former attorney general of California, and her penchant for making “weird” or uninformed statements about coconut trees and “fancy” artificial intelligence.
Rep. Golden, who is seeking is third term, is among the most vulnerable Democrats of the 2024 cycle. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reportedly argued in forcing Biden from the race that he would cost the party its chances to retake the lower chamber if he did not step aside.