Representative Jared Golden, a retiring Democrat from Maine, has endorsed Republican Rep. Mike Lawler for reelection in one of the country’s most closely watched House races. Golden urged voters in New York’s 17th Congressional District to keep Lawler in office despite the two men’s opposing party affiliations. The endorsement gives Lawler an unusual show of support as he faces Democrat Cait Conley in November. It also prompted a sharp response from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Golden made his case in an opinion piece published Monday in The Journal News, which serves the Hudson Valley district Lawler represents. Golden has announced that he will leave Congress when his term ends in January, while Lawler is seeking a third term. The contest matters to both parties because Lawler holds a Republican seat in a district that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Golden’s endorsement puts a fellow Democrat’s support behind the incumbent Republicans are trying to keep in the House.
Golden pointed to his work with Lawler as the reason for his decision. Their partnership has included legislation aimed at protecting Northeast fishing communities from new federal regulations, an issue with direct consequences for Golden’s Maine constituents. Lawler doesn’t represent those fishing families, but Golden credited him with helping advance their cause. Golden also argued that voters should judge members of Congress by whether they can work with colleagues across party lines.
As Fox News reported, Golden wrote that Lawler had been a partner to him and urged voters to send the Republican back to Washington. “I strongly back him,” Golden wrote. He closed his endorsement by urging voters elsewhere to look for lawmakers willing to pass legislation with the other party and keep them in office. Golden’s recommendation comes as Democrats are working to unseat Lawler, making his choice consequential.
The fishing bill offers a concrete example of the partnership Golden described. The House passed H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026, on September 1st by a 219–196 vote, according to a release from Golden’s office. The measure would extend a pause on certain new regulations related to the North Atlantic right whale until 2035. It still needs Senate action as the House passage didn’t make the extension law.
Lawler welcomed the endorsement in a statement from his campaign. “It’s an honor and a privilege to accept the endorsement of my friend, Democratic Congressman Jared Golden,” he said. Lawler said they had found common ground on matters important to their constituents, including fishing regulations and collective bargaining rights for federal workers. He described their willingness to work together despite disagreements as part of how both men approach their jobs in Congress.
Jeffries offered a very different assessment. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Democratic leader dismissed Golden’s support as an “11th-hour endorsement” from a retiring lawmaker whose district is hundreds of miles away. Jeffries said the race would be decided by voters in Westchester County and the lower Hudson Valley. He backed Conley, the Democratic candidate, and argued that Lawler’s record didn’t justify Golden’s praise.
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The endorsement follows other public breaks between Golden and House Democratic leadership. Golden and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington recently voted with Republicans on procedural measures that helped the majority advance its agenda. Jeffries and other Democratic leaders condemned one of those votes as a breach of trust. Golden’s support for Lawler is a different kind of break: he is asking voters in a competitive district to return a Republican to Congress while his own party is trying to win the seat.
Conley, an Army veteran who has worked on national security and cybersecurity issues, remains Lawler’s Democratic opponent in November. Lawler won reelection in 2024 even as Harris carried the district at the presidential level. Golden cited that split in explaining why he believes Lawler’s work across party lines matters to voters there. This fall, those voters will decide whether Lawler receives a third term.
Featured image credit: U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons