Jared Forrest Golden (born July 25, 1982) is an American politician and a Marine Corps veteran serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 2nd congressional district since 2019.

[3] He attended Leavitt Area High School before enrolling at the University of Maine at Farmington, but left after a year to join the United States Marine Corps in 2002.

He rose to the rank of corporal and received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his leadership during Operation Steel Curtain.

[6] He then worked for an international logistics firm before joining the staff of Republican senator Susan Collins on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

[8] On August 24, 2017, Golden announced his candidacy against Bruce Poliquin to serve in the United States House of Representatives for Maine's 2nd congressional district.

[4] On June 20, 2018, he was declared the winner of the Democratic primary, defeating environmentalist Lucas St. Clair and bookstore owner Craig Olson.

The independents' supporters ranked Golden as their second choice by an overwhelming margin, allowing him to defeat Poliquin by 3,000 votes after the final tabulation.

Golden faced former Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin, whom he narrowly beat in 2018, and independent Tiffany Bond, who also ran for the 2nd congressional district seat in 2018.

[44] While he acknowledged the bill had many good provisions, such as creating a national registry for police misconduct, increasing data collection, promoting de-escalation tactics, and banning chokeholds unless deadly force was authorized, he expressed concern over its proposed restrictions on qualified immunity.

[45] Golden was one of two House Democrats, alongside Representative Gluesenkamp Perez, to side with Republicans in voting to overturn President Biden's student loan debt cancellation plan of 2023.

[46] During the Russo-Ukrainian War, Golden organized a letter signed by several members of Congress, urging President Biden to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

He was also one of two Democrats, along with Ron Kind of Wisconsin, to vote against the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, which sought to close the Charleston loophole.

[55] Golden was the only House Democrat to vote with Republicans against the Build Back Better Act, citing concerns about the elimination of the $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction and the lack of prescription drug pricing reform.

[58] He was one of four Democrats to join with the majority of House Republicans to pass the annual defense policy bill, which included provisions barring Pentagon funding for abortion and transgender surgeries.

[59] Jared Golden has received an "A" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for his voting record on cannabis-related legislation.

[61] He expressed concern that the law's labeling requirements would not prevent international companies from misbranding products, potentially harming Maine businesses.

Golden also voiced skepticism about enforcement, citing the U.S.'s poor track record with previous trade agreements in protecting workers.

[65] Golden also has several tattoos from his time in the military, including a Celtic cross on his forearm and a "devil dog" which represents his Marine unit.