Former GOP firebrand governor eyeing run for Congress in key swing district

Former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine is considering a 2026 run for Congress.

A source on Friday confirmed to Fox News the conservative firebrand is mulling a bid in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. The mostly rural district comprises roughly 80% of the state’s total land area and is the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River.

The seat is held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a Marine veteran who served combat tours in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Golden is a moderate Democrat who is often at odds with his party’s leadership.

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Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine sat down for an interview with Fox News Digital during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign in Westbrook, Maine, July 13, 2022 (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

LePage, first elected governor in 2010 and re-elected four years later, was prevented by term limits from seeking a third straight term in 2018. 

The pugnacious LePage became known both inside Maine and across the country for stirring controversy due to his off-the-cuff remarks. He also often touted that “I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.”

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He made an unsuccessful comeback in 2022 against his successor, losing the gubernatorial election to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills.

Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine speaks at a news conference Nov. 1, 2022, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

There’s speculation that Golden, who won re-election in November by a razor-thin margin, is considering a run for governor in 2026, when Mills is term-limited.

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Maine is one of just two states, along with Nebraska, that divides its electoral votes in the presidential election by congressional district. And Trump won the single electoral vote at stake in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District by carrying the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections.

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The GOP, when at full strength, will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in 2026 to win back the chamber for the first time in four years.

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And Republicans are also dealing with plenty of political history because the party in power traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterms.