Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap appears to have decided in favor of running a primary campaign against Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) after a Thursday IRS filing revealed the creation of a “Dunlap for Congress” political organization.
[RELATED: Possible CD2 Democrat Primary Challenger Matt Dunlap Gaining Ground on Rep. Golden in Polling Memo…]
The filing lists a PO box in Old Town for the organization’s address and shows Brandon Philipczyk, head of Bison Strategies, which assists with political campaigns, as the custodian.
Dunlap has been considering a possible run against Rep. Golden for months now and previously discussed the possibility of a primary run with Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson on his Robinson Report podcast in May.
Dunlap also discussed the need for greater transparency in Maine’s government spending.
The IRS filing shows that Dunlap is taking steps to make his proposed campaign a reality.
Robinson revealed on WGAN Radio on Monday that someone close to Dunlap told him that he would make a decision on running very soon, and it appears that the state auditor has now done so.
On Wednesday, Rep. Golden told a reporter in Washington, D.C., that he was not worried about a primary challenge from Dunlap, responding with a one-word “no,” just one day before “Dunlap for Congress” was created.
A polling memo obtained by Breitbart in August suggests that Dunlap could pose a serious problem for Golden.
According to that memo, Dunlap is just two points behind Golden, with 39 percent of likely Democratic voters saying they would vote for the incumbent and 37 percent expressing support for Dunlap. Given the substantial 25 percent of undecided voters at the time of that poll, Dunlap poses a serious threat.
The same poll found that 76 percent of Democratic voters believe Golden is not doing enough to combat President Donald Trump.
Even if Golden defeats his primary challenger, he will likely face Republican frontrunner Paul LePage, who served as Maine’s governor before Gov. Janet Mills (D).
Two polls, one from the Congressional Leadership Fund and one from the University of New Hampshire conducted in May and June, respectively, gave LePage a slight edge over Golden.
