Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who once described himself as “Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular,” announced Monday that he was running for Congress.

“The entrenched interests are fighting President [Donald] Trump at every turn as he works to fix problems,” the former two-term Republican governor said on social media. “We need more straight talk to help take back Washington.”

A former businessman turned outspoken and divisive political figure, LePage is seeking the 2nd District seat represented by Rep. Jared Golden, one of 13 House Democrats to hold seats that Trump carried last fall. In fact, voters in the sprawling district, which includes much of the state outside of the Portland and Augusta areas, have backed Trump in all three of his presidential runs, as well as LePage in his three races for governor.

LePage won the first of his two terms as governor during the tea party wave of 2010. His tenure was marked by a highly adversarial relationship with Democrats and the press.

After Democrat Janet Mills succeeded him in 2019, LePage briefly moved to Florida with his wife, Ann, stating, “I am done with politics. I have done my eight years. It’s time for somebody else.”

But he reestablished residency in Maine in 2020 and challenged Mills for his old job two years later.

In that race, LePage downplayed his ties to Trump, who had lost his reelection bid and was widely criticized over the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, and attempted to portray himself as a less Trumpian leader.

“Life is a journey,” he told The Atlantic. “And along the way you learn and you get better, and hope that every day, the rest of my life, I’m a better man.”

But he ended up losing his bid for a third term to Mills by 13 points, though he did carry the 2nd District in that race.

Golden has crafted a moderate profile in Congress and demonstrated crossover appeal over his four terms representing his Republican-leaning district. He opted not to endorse Kamala Harris in her campaign against Trump last year, just as he had remained neutral in the Senate race in 2020, when Republican Susan Collins, his onetime boss, secured a fifth term.

Golden won a close reelection in November, defeating Republican Austin Theriault by less than a point under the state’s ranked-choice voting system.

A retired Marine and former state legislator, Golden was first elected in 2018, unseating GOP incumbent Bruce Poliquin after a ranked-choice voting tabulation.

On his way out as governor, LePage signed off on the certification of Golden’s initial election but decided to pen “Stolen Election” on the official document.

Golden has been mentioned as a potential candidate for higher office next year — either for Senate (Collins is seeking a sixth term) or the open governor’s race, with Mills term-limited. Asked for comment on LePage’s entry into the 2nd District race, Golden said in a statement, “I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement.”

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the contest for the 2nd District Tilt Democratic.

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(Mary Ellen McIntire contributed to this report.)

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