Only one Democratic lawmaker opposes $1.9 trillion bill Who is he?

Rep. Jared Golden, the only Democrat to vote against the $1.9 trillion relief bill.

In last week’s bipartisan showdown over the $1.9 trillion coronavirus (CCP) relief bill, the bill passed and was signed into law by President Biden, despite all Republican lawmakers voting against it. Notably, two-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat to vote against the bill twice in the House.

Explaining his opposition, the congressman began by admitting, “I know there are people who will continue to need assistance to get through the final stages of this pandemic. I understand that’s why it’s necessary for Congress to pass a targeted bill to expand unemployment benefits to address the needs of the people.”

Gordon emphasized, “While our total spending to fight the virus has exceeded $4 trillion, we are then spending over hundreds of billions of dollars in massive funds through borrowing in order to meet the most urgent needs. This poses a risk both to our economic recovery and to other matters that I feel should be a priority. For example, I want to work with the Biden Administration to rebuild our infrastructure and fix our unaffordable health care system.”

In addition to all of this, Gordon was the only Democrat among House Democrats to voice opposition to the gun sales background check bill last week. Earlier this year, he also voted against the Democrats’ police reform bill.

Gordon served a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan and Iraq before entering politics. He won his district by a narrow margin in 2018. In last November’s district election, he defeated Biden, then a Democratic presidential candidate, by nearly 30,000 votes.

Now, Gordon is under national scrutiny for his differences with the Democratic Party. He is also facing challenges from groups within the Democratic Party. The first challenge already happened last week when Michael Sutton, a Democrat from Maine, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission indicating his intention to challenge Gordon in next year’s midterm elections.

Likewise, Gordon faces competition from outside groups from the Republican Party. The American Action Network, a conservative advocacy group, ran digital ads in Gordon’s district last week. The ad, which was deliberately chosen to be distributed before the vote on the $1.9 trillion bailout bill, said, “Tell Gordon it’s Time to put the brakes on Pelosi’s plan.”