BANGOR, Maine (AP) - Democratic Rep. Jared Golden said there’s a lesson to be learned from the election in which his party lost ground in the U.S. House.
Politicians who cannot prove to be independent of their party run the risk of being tied to hot-button national issues, he said.
“People want their representatives to represent them, not a party platform,” Golden told the Bangor Daily News.
Polls showed Golden with a double-digit lead, enough that his party pulled its money, assuming he would coast to victory.
It ended up being much closer. Golden won his second term by just six percentage points over former state Rep. Dale Crafts, R-Lisbon Falls.
“I think you should all stop looking at public polling,” Golden said. His own polls showed a 12- to 14-point lead. But the polls also shows a large number of undecided voters who would likely break against him.
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