Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, a moderate, said in an opinion piece this week that presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump is going to win the presidential election in November and he is "OK with that."
Published in the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday, Golden's piece came in response to the brouhaha erupting from within his own party about President Joe Biden's debate performance. It was headlined "Donald Trump is going to win the election and democracy will be just fine."
The Maine congressman said he was not ruffled by Biden's shaky presentation because the outcome of the 2024 race for the White House has been apparent to him for some time.
"While I don't plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win," Golden wrote. "And I'm OK with that."
Unlike others in the Democratic Party who are concerned that Trump is a threat to democracy, Golden said he rejects the idea the former president will dismantle American democracy should he win a second term.
Democrat hand-wringing ratcheted up Monday when the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have broad immunity for official acts, potentially halting the election inference case against him in Washington.
"Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system," Golden said.
Jan. 6, 2021, was a "dark day," the Marine veteran noted, but said that police officers, judges, state election officials and members of Congress came together to defend democracy as members of the military would.
"This election is about the economy, not democracy," Golden wrote. "And when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House."
Golden said Jan. 20 he thinks Trump will return to the Oval Office and Maine's lawmakers must be willing to work with him in addition to holding him accountable.
"I urge everyone — voters, elected officials, the media, and all citizens — to ignore the chattering class's scare tactics and political pipedreams," Golden wrote. "We don't need party insiders in smoke-filled back rooms to save us. We can defend our democracy without them."
Golden, who is up for reelection along with the entire House, will defend his seat in November against a challenge from Maine state Rep. Austin Theriault, a Republican.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated Golden's district as a toss-up, which Trump won by 6 points in 2020.