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Rep. Jared Golden gets a primary from the left

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Maine Rep. Jared Golden — a moderate Democrat who won a district Donald Trump carried by 9 points in 2024 — has drawn a primary challenger from his left, complicating his path to reelection in a seat Republicans are eager to flip next year.

State auditor Matt Dunlap announced his campaign on Monday, after months of speculation that saw Golden’s campaign leak polling that showed Dunlap trailing Republican former Gov. Paul LePage by 10 points in a general election matchup.

But Dunlap was undeterred. He says Golden is not doing enough for the district and has sided with Republicans too often, citing Golden’s recent vote to keep the government open.

“I mean how many times has Jared Golden been one of the only Democrats to vote with Republicans on these key issues?” Dunlap said in an interview ahead of his campaign launch.

Dunlap dismissed questions about his viability, saying “the only poll that matters is the election.”

Golden says he is the only viable candidate to defeat LePage, and his allies are already highlighting Dunlap’s long record as a state representative.

“If Matt Dunlap thinks this district will choose him over Paul LePage, he’s got another thing coming,” Golden said in a statement. “A 30-year party crony like Matt Dunlap won’t cut it — the last time Matt held elected office he was a pro-life Democrat at a time when that unfortunately wasn’t unusual. Watching Dunlap try to recreate himself as a progressive would be amusing if it were not so cynical.”

Republicans immediately cheered Dunlap’s run. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said his “entrance into this race proves what we’ve been saying all along … Golden has got to go.”

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Congress

House Republicans huddle with Johnson to plot party-line package

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A large contingent of House Republicans — encompassing hard-liners, Budget Committee members, panel chairs and party leaders — piled into Speaker Mike Johnson’s office Thursday afternoon to discuss a second party-line package, according to four people granted anonymity to share details of the private meeting.

Among the lawmakers attending were Budget Chair Jodey Arrington of Texas and Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, also of Texas.

Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida, Tom McClintock of California and Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma were also on hand, alongside Pennsylvania Reps. Lloyd Smucker and Scott Perry.

“We’re definitely preparing to move forward,” Johnson said in an interview as he left the meeting, regarding the House GOP Conference’s plans to pursue another bill through the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process. “We’re talking about more details. Lots of work going on.”

One of the biggest issues members are trying to work through at the moment is how to close the wide gap between Republicans in the House and Senate. Most House Republicans want a more expansive bill with myriad conservative policy priorities to ride alongside war and defense funding, while the Senate GOP is largely pushing for a more narrowly-focused measure, according to the four people.

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Senate rejects voter ID

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Senate Democrats rejected a GOP photo ID amendment Thursday, an issue that Republicans are eager to use as a cudgel in the midterms.

Senators voted 53-47 on the amendment from Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, which needed 60 votes to advance. Republicans wanted to add the language to their election bill, known as the SAVE America Act.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the amendment “would impose the single strictest voter ID law in America.”

“Stricter than Texas. Stricter than Florida. Stricter than any state in the country,” he said.

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John Thune says he’s aiming to land DHS deal Thursday

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants to clinch a bipartisan Department of Homeland Security funding agreement Thursday.

“I think the Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final” offer, Thune told reporters. “So let’s hope this gets it done.”

“We’re going to know soon,” he added.

The South Dakota Republican declined to discuss details of the offer but suggested it was similar to where the discussions were headed over the weekend. GOP senators then were looking at a bipartisan deal that would fund most of DHS but leave out funding for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

That offer was rejected by Democrats. But two people granted anonymity to discuss the revised proposal said it, too, omitted only ERO money but included additional language to try to address some of Democrats’ concerns.

Spokespeople for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Senate is expected to vote again on the House-passed DHS bill Thursday afternoon. The House is also voting again on DHS funding Thursday and is planning to leave town Friday morning for a two-week holiday recess. Progress in the Senate could prompt House GOP leaders to stay in session in hopes of sending a bill to President Donald Trump.

Asked about the Senate vote, Thune said he hoped there would be “some finality in this real soon.”

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