Democratic State Sen. Joe Baldacci, the brother of a former Maine governor, is moving closer to a bid for retiring Rep. Jared Golden’s (D-Maine) district.
Baldacci is serious enough about running that he commissioned a poll of the race. Baldacci has spoken with the DCCC and some of Golden’s former campaign staff about a potential bid.
Baldacci, an attorney and former Bangor city councilman, is a member of a prominent Maine political family. His brother, John Baldacci, was governor from 2003 to 2011 and represented the 2nd District before that from 1995 to 2003. (David Baldacci, a second cousin to John and Joe, is a successful novelist.)
Maine’s 2nd District is among the reddest held by a Democrat; President Donald Trump won it by nine points. The district spans northern Maine and is largely rural. Golden’s surprise retirement left Democratic recruiters nervous about finding someone as adept at winning over Trump voters as Golden. Baldacci briefly ran for the district in 2016 but dropped out.
Republicans have had no recruiting issue. Former Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage is running.
The poll commissioned by Joe Baldacci found him trailing LePage by one point, 43% to 44%. The survey was conducted in late November and early December by Pan Atlantic Research, which included questions about the 2nd District for Baldacci while fielding a statewide poll.
The sample size is fairly small (387 likely voters) and the margin of error is +- 5.1%. But the fact that Baldacci paid to poll is notable and signals he is gearing up for a run.
Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer, and state Auditor Matt Dunlap are also running in the Democratic primary.
One wildcard: Baldacci said he won’t run if former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson left the gubernatorial race to run for Congress. So far Jackson has not ruled out a House bid but said he believes he is the best candidate for governor.
