A retiring Democratic congressman from Maine just crossed 400 miles and a party line to tell voters in Hakeem Jeffries' own backyard to re-elect a Republican.
Rep. Jared Golden published an op-ed Monday endorsing Republican Rep. Mike Lawler for re-election in New York's Hudson Valley. Lawler is a Trump-backed Republican. House Minority Leader Jeffries has staked his House majority strategy on flipping the seat.
Jeffries responded by calling Lawler "a partisan hack and Trump sycophant."
Golden didn't hedge. "I know how bipartisan Mike Lawler really is," he wrote. "I know something about what that takes." The two had actual work to point to — they co-sponsored the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026, the kind of unglamorous legislating that doesn't make cable news but gets things done. According to the Lugar Bipartisanship Index, Lawler ranks 4th most bipartisan in the House. "Representing districts like ours forces you to work for people who disagree with you," Golden wrote, "and it teaches you that those people are not your enemies."
Lawler's district is one of only three Republican-held seats in the country that Kamala Harris carried in 2024. He won anyway. His Democratic challenger this cycle is Cait Conley, and Jeffries needs that seat to have a shot at the majority. Golden just published a roadblock in Jeffries' home state.
Jeffries dismissed it as "an 11th-hour endorsement from a retiring congressmember who represents an out-of-town district" — a "smoke-and-mirrors ploy." When a member of your own party endorses the opposition in your own state, the explanation is that he lives too far away.
Golden is not alone. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman recorded a video praising Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, calling himself a "commonsense Democrat" who wants to "reject the extremes and socialism." Former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin endorsed Republican Susan Collins' reelection last week, calling her the "soul of the Senate." Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington defied Jeffries twice within one month by voting with Republicans on procedural rule votes — the kind of floor rebellion that signals to leadership that the grip is slipping.
The party line is a loyalty oath. A growing number of Democrats have stopped signing it.
Lawler's response to the endorsement: "We share a firm belief that what's best for the people should come before one's party."
Jeffries' response: "partisan hack and Trump sycophant."