Maine Rep. Austin Theriault, R-Fort Kent, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, debate issues in the second of three debates between the candidates for U.S. Congress in Maine’s 2nd District. The debate was hosted by News Center Maine. Screenshot of News Center Maine feed

In their second debate in less than a week, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden on Monday accused Republican state Rep. Austin Theriault of being hypocritical on gun rights and trying to blame the incumbent for state-level solar subsidies that are overseen by the Maine Legislature.

During a discussion about guns, Golden criticized Theriault for touting endorsements from gun rights groups and claiming to be a champion of the Second Amendment, even though the Republican from Aroostook County called police to report a man who was holding an AR-15 rifle on his own porch.

“Austin will say as a candidate that the Second Amendment is sacrosanct – that it’s unimpeachable – cannot be touched,” Golden said, describing what he called a nuanced approach to guns and public safety. “But in his personal life, he knows it’s more complex than that. He’s actually called the police because he saw someone standing on their front porch with an AR-15. … Clearly he understands there’s a discrepancy here.”

Theriault, whose campaign has savaged Golden for announcing support for an assault weapons ban after the mass shooting in Lewiston last fall, defended his response. Theriault echoed his campaign’s claim that he had believed the man was involved in an altercation with a group of people.

“I am a law-abiding citizen and believe when you see something where somebody may be using a gun unlawfully or there may be a confrontation that leads to violence, it’s important to notify law enforcement,” Theriault said.

Golden, a 42-year-old former Marine and combat veteran, is running for his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s being challenged by Theriault, a 30-year-old former NASCAR driver who is finishing his first two-year term in the State House.

The 2nd Congressional District race is one of a handful of swing contests in the country this year. Golden is one of 13 Democrats to hold a seat in a congressional district won by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

Republicans are bullish about their chances of picking up the seat, since Trump is on the ballot again this year. Golden has won two of his elections through ranked choice tabulations, beating an incumbent Republican by 1 percentage point in 2018 and winning by 6 points in each of his last two elections.

This year, he’s facing a spirited challenge from a younger opponent who is something of a minor celebrity. Theriault is a former NASCAR driver who received early endorsements from Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. He’s been crisscrossing the expansive district, the largest east of the Mississippi River, that covers most of central and northern Maine.

Golden and Theriault met onstage for the first time Thursday. During a debate hosted by WGME and the Bangor Daily News, the pair clashed over reproductive rights, gun rights, the southern border and Golden’s support of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Monday’s debate was moderated by Rob Caldwell of News Center Maine and cosponsored by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.

Here are some takeaways from the debate:

CLEAN ENERGY

Theriault repeatedly cited the high costs of energy as straining household and business budgets. He called for more oil and gas production while saying nuclear energy should be the country’s clean energy priority – though he wouldn’t say whether he would support a nuclear power plant in Maine. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” he said.

When asked what the U.S can do to curb emissions, Theriault said the nation should crack down on countries like China and India that are not prioritizing emission reductions.

Theriault also blamed the Inflation Reduction Act, which Golden supported, for pushing up prices and incentivizing solar and offshore wind energy – the latter of which has raised concerns among Maine’s lobstering industries.

But when Theriault said solar incentives were driving up electricity costs for ratepayers, Golden noted that the net energy billing program was created by and is overseen by the state Legislature.

“They’re paying for it because of the way the Legislature drafted it and you failed to amend it, and now ratepayers are paying,” Golden said. “It’s the state Legislature’s failure, and you’re trying to pin it on me.”

HELPING WORKING FAMILIES

Theriault blamed runaway federal spending, including the Inflation Reduction Act, for driving inflation that is making it hard for families to buy food, gasoline and other necessities. To combat federal spending, he said he would call for federal agencies to justify every penny, rather than building one budget on top of the next, known as zero-budgeting, though he would exclude national defense, as well as Social Security and Medicare.

Theriault said he doesn’t support any changes in the tax code, meaning he would vote to continue Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which analysts say were skewed toward the richest Americans.

“We don’t have a tax problem,” he said. “We have a spending problem.”

Golden, meanwhile, said he would look to improve upon the existing child tax credit to help struggling families, and advocate for federal grants to promote public-private partnerships for child care facilities.

He also supported raising taxes on the richest Americans as a way to save Social Security and Medicare, while also pointing to the health care savings that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

ABORTION

Abortion has been a flashpoint ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned protections afforded for 50 years under Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Theriault, who described himself as pro-life, said he would not support any federal legislation on abortion, whether it’s a federal ban, setting a limit on when an abortion can be performed (at, say, 12 or 16 weeks) or anything in between.

“I don’t support any federal legislation,” he said. “This is a states right issue, and voters are deciding.”

Golden, meanwhile, said that he has sponsored a bill that would codify the protections in Roe V. Wade.

“I am 100% pro-choice,” Golden said.