In the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, the campaigns are fighting over gun rights

In November, Representative Jared Golden (left) will face his Republican challenger Austin Theriault in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. Archive photos by Andree Kehn/Sun Journal and Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

In the exciting race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a dispute has erupted this week over who is more committed to gun rights.

Opponents of Republican challenger and NRA supporter Austin Theriault have circulated an incident report from 2023 saying he called the police because a man was exercising his Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden was among the Democrats who used the report to question Theriault’s commitment to gun rights, which is likely to be a key issue in a closely watched head-to-head race that could determine which party controls the House. The sprawling 2nd District – the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi – is largely rural and more conservative than other parts of the state, and has a strong culture and tradition of hunting and gun ownership.

Theriault, a former NASCAR driver and first-term state representative, called the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office in January 2023 to report a man carrying an AR-15 on his own property, according to the police report.

Theriault did not give police an address of the person described in the report as someone who “walked onto his porch with an AR-15 in his hand” and did not report any possible criminal offenses, according to a copy of the report obtained by the Press Herald.

“Austin did not disclose any information that would lead me to believe a crime had been committed,” the police report states. “No further information was found.”

In Maine, carrying a firearm is constitutionally legal, meaning that no permit is required to possess or carry a firearm in public, whether the weapon is carried concealed or not.

The report became public this week and was the focus of a report by the liberal news website HuffPost on Monday. The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the authenticity of the police report and said the officer in charge was not available to speak with a reporter.

The police report gave one of the state’s three gun rights groups pause, and they said they would investigate the incident. The group later said it was satisfied with the explanation provided by Theriault’s campaign team.

A spokesman for Theriault’s campaign did not respond to a request to speak to Theriault and said it was “completely pathetic” that the Press Herald had asked about the incident.

A campaign spokesman told the Press Herald that Theriault told police he witnessed an apparent altercation, but the police report made no mention of a fight or confrontation.

“Austin witnessed an armed individual who appeared to be involved in a dispute with a group,” campaign manager Shawn Roderick said in a written statement released through a spokesperson. “As any concerned citizen would, Austin notified the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and is thankful nothing came of it.”

Theriault is seeking to replace Golden, who is currently finishing his third term in Congress. The Republican has criticized Golden for his comments on restricting assault rifles following the shooting in Golden’s hometown of Lewiston.

Golden, a former Marine, took to X (formerly Twitter) to jibe at Theriault after the HuffPost article was published.

“I didn’t realize that you could get NRA support for calling the police on a Maine citizen who has a gun on his own property,” Golden said. “Weird.”

Golden said in a written statement Tuesday that Theriault’s explanation for why he called the police was not valid.

“The whole thing is a little odd,” Golden said. “Many of us carry firearms and most of us wouldn’t call the police if we didn’t know something was wrong. I can’t speak to what Austin thought he saw or what the police had to say about it. The balance between individual rights and public safety is often nuanced and not to be taken lightly, and that has always been my view on the 2nd Amendment.”

Theriault’s campaign manager accused Golden of circulating the story. A spokesman for Golden denied that allegation, and it was unclear Tuesday who leaked the report to the media.

“Jared Golden is the one pushing this non-story, and we understand that it upsets him that the NRA and gun groups across Maine have supported Austin and not him,” Roderick said.

“So we’re happy to enlighten him a little: Gun owners can both support the Second Amendment and notify the police if it appears that someone is about to use a firearm without permission. Jared Golden clearly thinks very little of gun owners – the same group he is now pathetically trying to win back.”

Golden has been at odds with gun rights groups since he publicly abandoned his opposition to a ban on assault rifles a day after the mass shooting in Lewiston. A gunman killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in a shooting spree at two locations – a bowling alley and a bar – using a semi-automatic assault weapon.

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to commit this crime,” Golden said at a press conference last year. “Now it is time for me to take responsibility for that failure. That is why I am calling on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass murder in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine.”

“For the good of my community,” he said, “I will work with every colleague to get this done in the time I have left in Congress.”

Theriault received an “A” grade and endorsement from the National Rifle Association and an “A” grade from the Gun Owners of Maine, which does not endorse candidates. Golden, who received a B from the NRA in 2022, received an “F” from each group as part of his pledge not to use assault weapons.

Weapon groups could not be influenced

Laura Whitcomb, president of Gun Owners of Maine, said in a phone interview Tuesday that she is reevaluating Theriault’s grade, which is given after a review of voting records, questionnaires and public comments, and will contact Theriault’s campaign team about the police report.

“We will of course look into what actually happened and what actually was the reason for the police report,” Whitcomb said. “If I feel his grade needs to be changed to properly reflect the facts of the matter, then of course we will do that.”

Whitcomb texted a reporter a short time later that she had spoken with the campaign and would not change Theriault’s grade. She said the campaign told her the police report was incomplete.

Justin Davis, who represents the NRA in Maine, did not respond to questions about whether the group had reconsidered its support in response to the report.

The third and perhaps most influential gun rights advocacy group, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, has not yet released its list of candidates.

But the group responded this week to a Golden campaign rally that touted the support of Maine athletes.

“Let’s be clear!” the group posted on Monday. “We have not published our ratings or endorsements. Today’s athlete announcement for Golden has nothing to do with SAM. We have not endorsed Jared Golden and have no plans to endorse him. Please share.”

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