Austin Theriault (Austin Theriault for Congress)
Former professional racecar driver Austin Theriault handily won the Republican primary election for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
The race was called less than an hour after the polls closed on Tuesday with only a fraction of the votes counted because Theriault was leading by such a wide margin. Around the time the Associated Press called the race, Theriault had more than 3,100 votes compared to his Maine House colleague Mike Soboleski, who had about 1,400.
The victory means the Fort Kent native will go on to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, in the November election.
Throughout the campaign, Theriault set himself apart by raising 10 times as much money as his opponent and bagging the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in March. Theriault raised more than $1.2 million, including nearly $180,000 from PACs and political committees such as Grow the Majority, run by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
In multiple debates leading up to the primary, Theriault named tightening enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border as his top priority, saying that he wants to see the southern border wall completed. As a state representative, Theriault rarely split from his party but voted in support of some drug policy reform bills, including safe consumption sites and allowing people to apply to have their now-legal marijuana crime records sealed.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated when final vote totals are available.
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