An Army veteran from East Machias has entered the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District, joining the field challenging Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. James Clark , an Army Veteran, announced his candidacy this week.
Clark, who operates a small business in Washington County, said he decided to run because he believes the district needs stronger leadership and a representative who better reflects the concerns of rural Maine.
The East Machias man told The Maine Wire that he is “committed to serving only three terms, not trading stocks while in office, and maintaining total transparency.”
The Second District, which covers much of northern and eastern Maine, is expected to be among the most competitive House races in the country next year. Rep. Golden has held the seat since 2019 and has fended off both Republican and independent challengers in previous cycles.
The incumbent candidate surprised some political observers with a November announcement that he would not run for reelection. While Golden attributed the decision to heightened partisanship in Washington, D.C., the prospect of a declared primary challenge from State Auditor Matt Dunlap (D) and a presumptive general election contest against former Republican Gov. Paul LePage would have loomed large over his decision making.
Early polling on CD-2 has showed on LePage tied or beating Golden.
With Golden now out of the running, State Auditor Dunlap has found his Democratic colleagues eager to jump into a race now deemed competitive by Democratic Party power brokers who were previously keen to let the incumbent candidate challenge LePage, whose hold over CD2 voters is widely recognized among Maine politicos.
Former congressional aide Jordan Wood, a multimillionaire transplant from Washington, D.C., has even announced that he and his husband will be adding a Lewiston residence to their impressive real estate portfolio as part of his recalibrated political ambition, which now appears aimed at the CD2 Democratic nomination. There has also been speculation that Penobscot Chief Kirk Francis, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, and State Sen. Joe Baldacci may join the fray.
Maine’s Second Congressional District presents a unique opportunity to impact the balance of power in Washington, D.C., by potentially giving national Republicans a +2 advantage during President Trump’s midterm election year—a year that historically has seen the president’s opposition party perform comparatively well. It would not be surprising to see control over the U.S. House of Representatives, and therefore the fate of Trump’s legislative agenda from 2026 to 2028, come down to whether Republicans can flip the central and northern Maine district, a district that has voted for Trump in three consecutive presidential elections.Because of the importance of the ME-CD2 seat and LePage’s demonstrable advantages over the likely Democratic opponent in terms of favorability and name recognition, Republicans would be taking a major risk by opting for the relative unknown Clark over LePage.
Apart from his military experience and work in the private sector, Clark is a political unknown, most likely to fall into the category of individuals who managed to fill out registration paperwork but otherwise do little campaigning.
The primary is scheduled for June 2026.
