Jared F. Golden
DDefeatedIncumbentFEC H8ME02185
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Raised this cycle$2.6M
Cash on hand: $103K
2026 race
ME-02 — U.S. House
2 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Jared F. Golden.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
DeepSyte tracks the money and the record in every race against the issues you care about — not party, not press releases. Take the 2-minute values quiz to see your alignment.
How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Democratic primary · Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Called by certified (ME Secretary of State, via Ballotpedia); also Roll Call
Matthew G. DunlapWon52.5%
- DJoseph BaldacciDefeated47.5%
- DJordan WoodDefeated28.8%
- DPaige LoudDefeated10.4%
Republican primary · Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Called by audit: web-verified
Paul R. LePageWon
Currently held by
Jared F. Golden (D) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Maine Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$15M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Paul R. LePage
RChallengerFEC H6ME02148
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Raised this cycle$3.3M
Cash on hand: $848K
Matthew G. Dunlap
DChallengerFEC H6ME02171
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Raised this cycle$3.0M
Cash on hand: $444K
3 defeated candidates — show
Joseph Baldacci
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6ME02213
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Raised this cycle$665K
Cash on hand: $6K
Jordan Wood
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6ME02197
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Raised this cycle$0
Cash on hand: $0
Paige Loud
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6ME02205
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Raised this cycle$0
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on ME-02 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Paul R. LePageleans negative
1 pos29 neutral3 neg33 articles
Matthew G. Dunlapleans positive
6 pos13 neutral0 neg19 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$15M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$9.5M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$5.9M
$1.0M for · $4.8M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Paul R. LePage(R) + THE CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DBA AMERICANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY $7K − HMP $2.1M | $3.3M | $7K | $2.1M | $1.2M |
Matthew G. Dunlap(D) + NATIONAL NURSES UNITED FOR PATIENT PROTECTION $51K + REAL CHANGE PAC $50K + PROGRESSIVE TURNOUT PROJECT $15K − CLF $2.2M | $3.0M | $115K | $2.2M | $840K |
4 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jared F. Golden(D)incumbentdefeated | $2.6M | — | — | $2.6M |
Joseph Baldacci(D)defeated + PROJECT 218 $907K − REAL CHANGE PAC $472K | $665K | $907K | $472K | $1.1M |
Jordan Wood(D)defeated | $0 | — | — | $0 |
Paige Loud(D)defeated | $0 | — | — | $0 |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside ME versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Paul R. LePage(R)47% in-state · $2.1M itemized
$981K in-state$1.1M out-of-state
Matthew G. Dunlap(D)63% in-state · $534K itemized
$337K in-state$197K out-of-state
2 defeated candidates — show
Jared F. Golden(D)defeated14% in-state · $1.8M itemized
$253K in-state$1.5M out-of-state
Joseph Baldacci(D)defeated48% in-state · $437K itemized
$210K in-state$227K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Lepage | Dunlap | You |
|---|---|---|---|
Digital Assets Individuals’ right to self-custody cryptocurrency without intermediary reporting should be protected by federal law. | — | ||
Economy Reducing the national debt should be a higher priority than new spending. | — | ||
Guns Civilian ownership of AR-15-style rifles should be restricted. | — | ||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | ||
Social Security High earners should pay Social Security taxes on more of their income. | — | ||
Social Security Future workers should have to wait longer to collect full Social Security. | — | ||
Taxes People making over $400,000 a year should pay higher taxes. | — | ||
Taxes Corporate taxes should be lower. | — | ||
Technology Big online platforms should face more government rules about how they moderate content. | — | ||
Veterans The VA should cover more veterans and more health conditions. | — |
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Paul R. LePage
- On election night, here are the key races to watch and when polls closeThe Philadelphia InquirerNov 3
- Election Day is Tuesday. Here’s what Mainers need to knowPortland Press HeraldNov 2
- How ranked-choice voting could affect Maine’s US Senate and House racesPortland Press HeraldOct 31
- Maine voters are turning out in huge numbers. Will Democrats keep their edge?Portland Press HeraldOct 28
Matthew G. Dunlap
- On election night, here are the key races to watch and when polls closeThe Philadelphia InquirerNov 3
- Election Day is Tuesday. Here’s what Mainers need to knowPortland Press HeraldNov 2
- How ranked-choice voting could affect Maine’s US Senate and House racesPortland Press HeraldOct 31
- Maine voters are turning out in huge numbers. Will Democrats keep their edge?Portland Press HeraldOct 28
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.