Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden predicted a win by former President Donald Trump in November, saying he doesn’t believe Trump is a threat to democracy.

The opinion column in the Bangor Daily News is consistent with Golden’s previous populist arguments and tendency to at least occasionally buck the Democratic establishment, political scientists said.

The column follows a disastrous debate performance by President Joe Biden that has led some Democrats to consider whether he should still be the Democratic nominee.

“Biden’s poor performance in the debate was not a surprise,” Golden wrote. “It also didn’t rattle me as it has others, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months: While I don’t plan to vote for him, Donald Trump is going to win. And I’m OK with that.”

Golden, a three-term congressman and former state lawmaker, is facing a challenge in November from state Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent). It’s expected to be an expensive and hard-fought race, with Theriault closely aligning himself with Trump and earning early endorsements from high profile Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Almost immediately after Golden’s opinion piece was published, Theriault put out a statement with the headline “Phony Golden Pretends to Toss Biden Overboard.”

“What a phony,” Theriault said. “Simple question for Jared Golden: Does he support Joe Biden for president or not? Does Golden believe Biden is mentally competent or not? Golden won’t say, because he puts politics ahead of Mainers.”

University of Maine political science professor Mark Brewer said he can see where Golden is attempting to cash in on Trump’s popularity in the 2nd District and at the same time, working to distance himself from other Democrats.

“Trump is popular in the 2nd District,” Brewer said. “Biden, not so much.”

Part of Golden’s argument is that “the strength of our democracy” prevailed on Jan. 6, 2021, when an angry mob stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Biden’s election.

“This election is about the economy, not democracy,” Golden wrote. “And when it comes to our economy, our Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House.”

Jim Melcher, political science professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, said via email that he thinks the column is consistent with Golden’s past attempts to “keep himself at arm’s length from President Biden.”

He also thinks the focus on Golden saying he’d be OK with a Trump win misplaces his intended emphasis. Melcher said Golden’s point was that a Trump victory is not a threat to democracy.

“I cannot recall when any candidate has said that the opposition candidate will win the election,” Melcher wrote. “At a time when many Democrats feel anxious, this will make them more so, even as he tells people not to worry.”

Brewer said he couldn’t disagree more with Golden’s assertion that Trump is not a threat to democracy.

“The reality is he is a unique threat,” Brewer said. “He’s not a garden variety threat.”

In November, Golden will be locked into what is expected to be a tough reelection battle, with the 2nd Congressional District race listed as a “Democrat Toss Up” by the Cook Political Report, which rates the competitiveness of all 435 House elections.

The sprawling 2nd District — the largest by area east of the Mississippi River — is fertile ground for Republicans. Trump has done well here, winning the district in 2016 and again in 2020.

But Golden, who lives in Lewiston, has won too, although two of his three election contests were close enough to require a ranked choice vote count.

In his column, Golden referenced the strength of the American democratic system and the upcoming July 4 holiday, saying the country has survived wars, terrorism and major societal changes.

In the end, he believes “freedom-loving Americans” will prevail.

“Democrats’ post-debate hand-wringing is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political loss, but a unique threat to our democracy,” Golden wrote. “I reject the premise. Unlike Biden and many others, I refuse to participate in a campaign to scare voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic system.”