Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who is not seeking reelection, has publicly endorsed Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), praising him as a “true partner” in an opinion piece published by Lohud.
Golden, who announced in November 2025 that he would leave Congress, used the op-ed to revisit his earlier warnings about “incivility and plain nastiness” in national politics, but said he wanted to offer a counterpoint before his term ends.
“When I announced last fall that I would not seek reelection, I wrote about the incivility and plain nastiness that are now common in our politics, and about a Congress that too often rewards ego and division over patience and determination,” Golden wrote. “I stand by all of it. But there is another side to the story, and before I leave office I want to tell it.”
Much of Golden’s case for Lawler centers on the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, legislation the two lawmakers advanced together to extend a six-year pause on new federal regulations affecting Maine’s lobster industry through 2035.
Golden explained that federal regulators have long imposed rules on Maine lobstermen meant to protect the North Atlantic right whale. He wrote that fishermen in his state “did their part and then some,” but in 2021 the government added a new round of restrictions “built on worst-case assumptions instead of real data.” A federal appeals court later vacated those restrictions unanimously, prompting Congress to enact the current pause along with funding for additional scientific research.
“But the pause expires at the end of 2028, and the research it paid for still has not been fully worked into the government’s models,” Golden wrote.
Golden noted that Lawler, whose Hudson Valley district has no lobster boats, chose to lead the bill anyway. The measure cleared the House Natural Resources Committee in July and has since passed the full House with bipartisan support.
“That is how Congress is supposed to work: members of different parties set aside their disagreements, find a problem that matters to the country and fix it,” Golden wrote. “And it was not a one-off. Twice more in the past two years, when something needed doing and party lines stood in the way, I found Lawler across the aisle. When the Trump Administration took away collective bargaining for federal employees, I introduced a bill restoring their rights. Lawler didn’t even take convincing.”
Golden called Lawler “a true partner” and “a friend to fishing families he will never represent,” saying he “strongly” supports him.
Lawler responded on X, thanking Golden for the endorsement.
“Thank you to my friend and colleague @RepGolden for his endorsement,” Lawler wrote. “Jared is a servant leader, who has fought tirelessly for his district. Time and again when we needed bipartisan compromise, Jared was always there ready to deliver. I’m honored to have earned his support.”
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