Ex-NASCAR driver Austin Theriault running to unseat Democratic Rep. Jared Golden in Maine

FORT KENT, Maine (AP) — NASCAR driver-turned-politician Austin Theriault wants the opportunity to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in Maine. The Republican Theriault announced Monday that he’s entering the Republican primary in what’s expected to be one of the country’s most competitive 2024 House races. The 29-year-old freshman state lawmaker said he will confront issues like inflation, illegal border crossings and dying small towns. He joins fellow GOP hopefuls Robert Cross, a mortgage broker, and Michael Soboleski, a fellow freshman in the Legislature. The rural, sprawling 2nd Congressional District has become a hotly contested seat as the region has become a conservative bastion in liberal New England. Golden has won three times.