A Republican ex-Nascar driver has passed an incumbent Democrat Congressman in the final turn before Election Day.
Austin Theriault has surpassed incumbent Democrat Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) in the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District, a poll from Axis Research found.
The republican state lawmaker now holds a 2-point advantage over Golden with 47 percent to the Democrats’ 45 percent.
Golden had a 10-point lead in the same poll in July, but Theriault has climbed as his name ID increased, the poll found.
Golden, seeking his fourth term, has played up his independence when campaigning in Maine’s large rural Second District. The district sided with Trump in 2020, although Golden squeaked out a successful reelection.
This time, he might not be so lucky, as Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy weighs on the down ballot candidate.
“Throughout the cycle, Donald Trump has led Kamala Harris, but a 2-point advantage in our July poll – conducted soon after Biden dropped out of the presidential race – has grown into a nine-point advantage in our mid-October polling,” the poll memo reads.
Since the July poll, the 30-year-old Theriault has continued gaining on – then passing – Golden. In August, the powerful National Rifle Association endorsed Theriault after Golden endorsed a ban on so-called assault weapons.
Breitbart News reported the race is one of six that could determine control of the House in the next Congress.
Austin Theriault stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Brian Lawdermilk/Getty)
The district is more significant due to Maine’s allocation of electoral votes. The state awards the winner of each of its two congressional district one electoral vote, with the statewide winner provided two electoral votes.
Maine’s First District contains the state’s liberal enclaves, where Harris leads heavily. But the Republican ticket could propel Theriault to victory in the First District and provide Trump an additional vote in the electoral college – even if Trump does not carry the state.
In additional to its unorthodox system of awarding electoral votes, Maine uses a ranked voting system, complicating efforts to handicap races.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
