Jared Golden Flip-Flops on Voter ID to Save His Political Career

Rep. Jared Golden of Maine has abruptly reversed his long-standing opposition to voter ID laws, now siding with Republicans on legislation that aims to secure our elections. But make no mistake this isn’t a newfound conviction. It’s a desperate political maneuver to cling to power in a district that no longer wants him.

Golden, now publicly backing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with left-wing lawmakers to block similar measures during his time in the Maine legislature. In 2015 and 2017, he voted twice against bills that would have required voter identification at the polls.

Here’s the timeline the media won’t emphasize:

• 2015: Golden voted to kill LD 197, which would have implemented voter ID requirements in Maine.

• 2017: He voted again to block LD 121, another bill that would have required voters to present photo ID.

• 2023-2024: Golden reverses course and votes for the SAVE Act twice.

So what changed? Not Golden’s principles, but his poll numbers. Golden barely held onto his seat in 2022, winning by less than a single percentage point. Maine’s 2nd Congressional District supported President Trump in both 2020 and 2024, and recent polls show Golden is trailing badly with voters.

Golden claims his support for the SAVE Act is rooted in fairness and patriotism. “Ensuring American elections are only for citizens is a proposition supported by 83% of Americans,” he wrote on Substack. What he didn’t mention is that the very same law he now supports mirrors the ones he voted to kill twice when he thought no one was watching.

Let’s be clear: Golden didn’t have a change of heart. He had a change in political climate.

This last-minute alignment with Republicans on voter ID is political theater nothing more. When you’ve spent years opposing basic election integrity measures, it’s a little late to pretend you're a champion of secure voting. Mainers deserve representatives who lead with conviction, not those who bend with the wind of electoral panic.

Consider these facts:

• Over 80% of Americans support voter ID laws, including a majority of Independents and even many Democrats.

• Forty-five states already have some form of voter ID requirement, yet radical Democrats continue to insist these laws are “voter suppression.”

• Studies have shown that voter ID laws do not reduce voter turnout, debunking one of the left’s favorite talking points.

Golden’s pivot isn’t leadership. It’s survival instinct. And Mainers see through it.

He’s now stuck in a no-man’s-land alienated from his party and distrusted by conservatives. His credibility is shot, and his political career is circling the drain. If his internal numbers were strong, he wouldn’t be scrambling to rewrite his record.

The voters of Maine’s 2nd District who overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump deserve a representative who actually shares their values, not one who imitates them in election years.

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