(CNN) 鈥 Maine Rep. Jared Golden, the only Democrat in the House to vote for the Republican-led government funding bill, drew a primary challenger Monday who accused him of consistently siding with the GOP over his own party.
State Auditor Matthew Dunlap鈥檚 bid sets the stage for a high-profile showdown in a district Democrats will likely need to hold to regain control of the US House. Golden represents one of the country鈥檚 most competitive districts, winning his 2024 race by less than a percentage point while President Donald Trump carried it by roughly 10 points.
Dunlap told CNN ahead of his announcement that Democrats are 鈥渧ery, very disenchanted with Jared,鈥 and that Golden overplays the difficulty of winning the district.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a hostile wilderness. These are my neighbors and friends. I know them well, and I feel welcome in every community in the state,鈥 Dunlap said.
In a statement, Golden said he represents a district that is 鈥渇iercely independent.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the most ideologically diverse districts in the country, and deserves someone who represents it as it is,鈥 he said.
Golden on a funding bill to avert a government shutdown, which was blocked by Senate Democrats.
Defending the vote in a statement, Golden said that the shutdown 鈥渋s the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump.鈥
It鈥檚 one of several instances of Golden crossing party lines throughout his career, frustrating some Democrats even as he has burnished an independent reputation.
Dunlap pointed to Golden鈥檚 earlier this year for the SAVE Act 鈥 GOP legislation that would have required proof of citizenship to vote 鈥 saying that it was 鈥渏ust inexplicable to me.鈥
鈥淚 feel like we have one of the best election systems in the country,鈥 said Dunlap who served as Maine鈥檚 secretary of state from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2021. 鈥淧eople ask me about the SAVE Act vote, and I said, well, it really wasn鈥檛 a tipping point, but it was a weathervane. It told me where people are.鈥
Golden, meanwhile, referred to Dunlap as a 鈥30-year party crony鈥 who was trying 鈥渢o recreate himself as a progressive.鈥
Dunlap lined up with the national Democratic argument that Republicans should reach a deal to restore health care funding that could otherwise expire soon.
But he was critical of party leaders and declined to say whether he would back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if elected.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody in Democratic leadership has necessarily draped themselves in glory in this cycle, and when I am in that position to make that decision, I鈥檓 going to listen to what people have to say,鈥 Dunlap said.
On the Republican side, former two-term Gov. Paul LePage announced a campaign for the district seat in May, writing on social media that 鈥渨e鈥檝e had too many years of Washington, D.C. trying to control the people. It is time to put the people before politics.鈥
And LePage鈥檚 campaign reacted to the developments in the Democratic primary, saying in a statement that 鈥淢att Dunlap sees what we see, Jared Golden is hiding.鈥
鈥淢aine people say they never see Jared Golden in their towns or communities. Jared Golden spends more time trying to please his New York, Los Angeles and Cambridge donors than he does talking to the people of Maine,鈥 LePage鈥檚 campaign wrote.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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