AUGUSTA — Former two-term Gov. Paul LePage is running for the 2nd Congressional District, setting up a possible showdown with U.S. Rep. Jared Golden.

LePage filed paperwork to run late Sunday for the seat that will be on the November 2026 ballot.

A Republican, LePage lost his bid for a political comeback in 2022 when he took on Gov. Janet Mills in the governor’s race. Mills, a Democrat, defeated LePage 56% to 42%.

But that was a statewide race and LePage is seeking to unseat Golden in the 2nd Congressional District, a GOP stronghold that President Donald Trump won three times.

Golden won by a narrow margin just last year, defeating Republican Austin Theriault by less than 1%.

A spokesperson for Golden told the Associated Press that the congressman is prioritizing protecting Maine's fishing communities, fighting Republican-led health care cuts and working to secure jobs at the Bath Iron Works shipyard and is not focusing on reelection.

According to the AP, Golden said in a Monday statement: “I thought Paul was doing his best work in retirement.”

Following his loss to Mills, LePage moved to Florida. The paperwork he filed with the Federal Election Commission lists an Augusta post office box for the LePage Victory Fund.

On his Facebook page Monday morning, LePage posted photos from Washington County and announced his campaign.

“The entrenched interests are fighting President Trump at every turn as he works to fix problems,” according to the post. “We need more straight talk to help take back Washington.”

LePage, 76, is a former Marden’s executive and mayor of Waterville. He touted his “real-world business experience” and said he’s running to “protect our Maine jobs.” He served as governor from 2011-2019.

The post also mentions LePage’s support for the 2nd Amendment and a pledge to “always protect Social Security and Medicare.”

Without naming LePage, the Maine Republican Party issued a statement Monday predicting that the 2nd District will “no longer be in Democrat hands in 2026.”

“There are more registered Republicans than Democrats now in Maine’s 2nd District, an advantage of almost 31,000 registered voters,” Chairman Jim Deyermond said in a statement. “Democrats also now trail ‘unaffiliated’ voters by more than 5,000 voters. Hundreds of volunteers have poured thousands of hours into helping President Trump win this district and they will now focus on ensuring he has as Republican ally representing this seat.”