State Rep. Austin Theriault, the Fort Kent Republican running against Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, drew a massive crowd on Wednesday, appearing alongside U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the Auburn Mall for the opening of a new campaign office.
“This election and this race with Austin is one of the most important in America, and it will decide the fate of our freedom,” said Rep. Johnson.
“I am not overstating this and you know it, so your presence here, your time, your assistance, your prayers, I believe are going to pay off, and I believe God’s going to answer those prayers and we’re going to save the greatest nation in the history of the world,” said Johnson.
Johnson has previously endorsed and helped fund Theriault’s effort to win back Maine’s Second Congressional District (CD2) race for Republicans.
Currently, Republicans maintain an extremely slim majority in the U.S. House, meaning that hotly contested elections like the one in Maine’s CD2 could easily alter the course of the nation.
The district is also a key part of the U.S. presidential election, because Maine apportions two Electoral College votes according to congressional district vote totals.
Although former President Donald Trump once visited Bangor during his 2016 campaign, and endorsed Theriault prior to the GOP primary, he has not yet announced any plans to visit northern Maine.
However, Johnson’s trip to Auburn is a strong signal that Republican powerbrokers have made the district a priority.
The new campaign office is part of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) “Battlestations” program, which has spent millions to open 21 offices in swing states.
The event proved highly successful for Theriault, drawing in what one source estimated to be about 400 people, with not every attendee able to get into the event space.
Theriault’s Auburn appearance drew criticism from his opponent, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who criticized his challenger for working with Johnson.
“Austin Theriault was hand-picked by GOP insiders like Mike Johnson because they know he’ll rubber stamp their harmful, extreme agenda,” said Golden in a statement.
In the written statement, Golden said Theriault’s alignment with GOP leaders in DC showed that he wants older Mainers to pay higher prices for prescription drugs and supports a nationwide ban on abortions.
National Republicans have repeatedly signaled that a national abortion ban is not on their agenda, and even angered pro-life activists in July by removing abortion-related language from the National Republican Committee’s platform.
Golden’s claim that Theriault would support high drug costs for seniors, a frequent refrain from the Democrat, stems from Theriault’s criticism of Golden’s vote for the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
While the IRA did include several provisions aimed at capping or reducing costs for Medicare beneficiaries, those reforms amounted to roughly 13 percent of the spending included in the $740 billion spending bill.
The IRA also included $80 billion for an expansion of the IRS and an increase in IRS audits, as well as new taxes on the energy sector and subsidies for electric vehicles.
Despite the title of the bill, inflation in the U.S. economy has continued to remain a problem for consumers.
According to the federal inflation calculator, an American worker would need to earn $106,078 annually in June 2024 to have the same buying that a $100,000 would have commanded when the IRA was signed in Aug. 2022.
The executive director of the Maine GOP, Jason Savage, responded to the criticisms with a statement pointing out that while Golden attacked Theriault for working with Johnson, Golden himself voted in favor of Johnson’s bid to become House Speaker.
“DC politician Jared Golden has flip-flopped again. First, Golden voted to support Mike Johnson and his Speakership, but now, Golden’s suddenly against him. Whether it’s on the border, on spending, or on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Golden’s flip-flops just won’t stop,” said Savage.
Throughout his campaign, Theriault has focused his efforts on highlighting Golden’s flip-flopping positions.
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