Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine bucked his own party to side with Republicans on voter ID requirements recently, but only after voting against similar requirements twice when he was a state legislator.

Golden is a vocal supporter of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a Republican bill to bolster election security, including through instituting a voter ID requirement to register to cast a ballot in a federal election. But a decade prior when Golden was serving in the Maine legislature, he voted against similar state legislation twice.

In 2015, Golden voted to kill LD 197, “An Act To Strengthen Maine’s Election Laws by Requiring Photographic Identification for the Purpose of Voting.”

Two years later in 2017, Golden voted again against voter ID legislation. Golden and his fellow state Democrats voted in favor of a motion not to pass LD 121, which “requires that a voter provide proof of identity with photographic identification for the purpose of voting. The bill specifies the types of photographic identification that may be used to verify the identity of a voter.”

Last year, Golden seemingly shifted his stance on voter identification laws. The Maine Democrat, who was elected to United States Congress in 2018, voted in support of the GOP-led SAVE Act. He voted for it again earlier this year.

Golden later justified his support for the SAVE Act in a post on his Substack that bashed his fellow Democrats for fearmongering.

“Ensuring American elections are only for citizens is a proposition supported by 83% of Americans. It enjoys bipartisan support,” Golden wrote. “But just like pro-worker, anti-free trade policies that were once welcomed for consideration by Democrats, this basic election integrity proposal has been sucked into the broader dynamic of resistance to anything that has support from Republicans, and specifically support from President Trump. Some are using misleading fear tactics about voter suppression because they think it will give them an upper hand in politics and elections.”

Golden’s swing toward Republican-backed bills could be a reflection of his competitive seat. He barely won reelection last year by less than a point over his Republican challenger Austin Therialt. Golden’s district, Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 and 2024. Recent polling has suggested Golden is well underwater with voters.

“Political opportunist Jared Golden has a record of voting against commonsense voter ID requirements. But now that his approval rating is in the dumps and he can’t raise any money from Mainers, he’s desperately bashing his own party and flip-flopping on any issue he can to get attention and score political points. Unfortunately for Jared Golden, the deception won’t work on Mainers. Golden’s days in Congress are numbered.” said Maureen O’Toole, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Golden’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance brought back one of his signature lines when dismissing former President Joe Biden’s criticism of the Trump administration’s approach to the Ukraine-Russia war.

Vance responded to Biden telling the BBC that the infamous White House meeting in which President Donald Trump and the vice president clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over ending the conflict was “beneath America.” Biden also claimed that Trump’s approach to Russia was “modern-day appeasement” during the interview.

“I think it’s rich for Joe Biden to comment on anything we’re doing when it comes to Russia and Ukraine because of course under Biden’s administration, Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Vance said to “The Story” anchor Martha MacCallum on Fox News.

“If we wanted to take advice from anybody on foreign policy, especially foreign policy in Europe, it would not be Joe Biden,” Vance continued. “So I wish Joe Biden the best. I don’t really care what he has to say about American foreign policy because so much of what he actually did was a total disaster.”

JD Vance on Joe Biden: “He can spend his time on the beach…we’ll continue trying to fix the problems he created.” pic.twitter.com/IisC5epnAh

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 8, 2025

He added: “If we just did the opposite of what Joe Biden did, I think we’d have one of the most successful foreign policy administrations in a very long time. So he can spend his time on the beach or doing whatever Joe Biden does. We’ll continue trying to fix the problems that he created.”

Vance has used the “I really don’t care” line before to shrug off a topic of discussion. He notably said, “I don’t really care, Margaret,” in January during an exchange over Afghan refugees with “Face The Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS.

Trump, who recently closed a minerals agreement with Ukraine, provided an update earlier in the day on his administration’s efforts to end the years-long war.

“Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Hopefully, an acceptable ceasefire will be observed, and both Countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations. If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“Thousands of young soldiers are dying on a weekly basis, and everybody should want it to STOP. I do, and the United States of America does, also,” he continued. “As President, I will stay committed to securing Peace between Russia and Ukraine, together with the Europeans, and a Lasting Peace it will be! This ceasefire must ultimately build toward a Peace Agreement. It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”