Former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault is seeking to unseat a Democratic state representative in the state of Maine.
Theriault, 29, officially filed the necessary documents to run in the 2024 race for a seat in Maine’s second district Monday, seeking to remove Democrat State Rep. Jared Golden, Bangor Daily News (BDN) reported. Theriault currently represents District 1, which he won in 2022 by beating a Democrat.
.@AustinTheriault, a @NASCAR racer and Maine state legislator, is by far one of the best @NRCC recruits this cycle!
Theriault will win #ME02, a Trump-won district which is one of the top Republican targets this year! 🇺🇸🎉 https://t.co/rbL3eYdiC3
— Rey Anthony (@ReyAnthonyFL) September 26, 2023
BDN described Golden as “the most conservative House Democrat on economic issues in both this Congress and the last one,” but more left-leaning on social issues.
Former NASCAR driver and current Maine state representative Austin Theriault has announced that he is running for US Congress. https://t.co/I5PbVyvwcc
— OutKick (@Outkick) September 26, 2023
Former President Donald Trump won the second district in Maine in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential races, according to BDN. (RELATED: Maine Officials Probing Trump’s Eligibility To Be On Presidential Ballot)
“Joe Biden has failed us and Jared Golden more times than not fails to stand up, speak out, and get the job done for a part of the state that desperately needs leadership,” Theriault said Monday, per BDN.
Theriault started racing professionally as a teenager and eventually elevated his career to the golden standard of North American competitive race-car driving, BDN noted.
In his capacity as a NASCAR driver, the Maine Republican has competed in five races, according to FRCS.pro.
In 2019, he was injured in a collision during a race at Talladega Super Speedway in Alabama, bringing his career to a pause, BDN reported. (RELATED: ‘I’m Coming Back’: NASCAR Driver Vows Return After Flipping Car 10 Times)
Thereafter, the racer switched to “consulting and mentoring” other pro racers as well as getting actively involved in Maine politics, per BDN.
Theriault hails from Fort Kent, Maine.