A Biddeford man has become the latest challenger lining up to take on U.S. Rep. Jared Golden next year.
Elias Bassile lives in the 1st Congressional District, but is running for the 2nd Congressional District seat because Golden “does so little” for Maine, the independent candidate told the Sun Journal.
Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution doesn’t require House candidates to live in the district they want to represent. It only requires that they live in the state where the district is located, are at least 25 years old and have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years.
In 2022, Portland lawyer Tiffany Bond, an independent, also vied for the 2nd District seat in a three-way race with Golden and former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican, despite living in the 1st District.
Bassile works for Maine Ammo in Saco, according to the Sun Journal.
Bassile told the Sun Journal that he isn’t interested in stirring the pot in Washington, but wants to bring more federal funds to Maine, pointing to the ongoing problems with homelessness, food insecurity and high energy bills in the state.
Bassile, a Michigan native who has lived in Maine for three decades, won’t caucus with Democrats or Republicans, according to the Sun Journal.
He plans to self-fund his campaign, telling potential donors to not “bother me,” the Sun Journal reported.
Bassile is the second independent candidate to enter the 2nd District race, joining Kevin Ball of Bangor.
Three Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination to challenge Golden next year. Former NASCAR driver and Fort Kent native Austin Theriault announced his bid this week, joining mortgage broker Robert Cross of Dedham and fellow first-term lawmaker Michael Soboleski of Phillips, who represents District 73 in the Maine House.
Golden, 41, has a considerable head start on his challengers, reporting more than $826,000 in donations from January through June, ending the period with about $611,000 in cash on hand.
Golden, a Marine veteran of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has repeatedly taken heat from progressives in his party for voting with Republicans and against fellow Democrats on several issues, including on student debt relief, a defense budget with abortion limits, gun regulations and President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan.
He is the most conservative House Democrat on economic issues in both this Congress and the last one while leaning slightly more liberal on social issues, according to VoteView. Golden has taken more progressive stances on issues like tribal rights and campaign finance reform, and Republicans point out that he most often votes with his party.