A Marine veteran and former staffer for Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsGraham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Gardner signals support for taking up Supreme Court nominee this year Tumultuous court battle upends fight for Senate MORE (R-Maine) has launched a House bid as a Democrat in Maine’s most competitive congressional district.

State Rep. Jared Golden, who currently serves as the Maine Legislature's assistant Democratic leader, announced his bid Thursday with a campaign ad that plays up his Maine roots and his military service. If the 34-year-old state lawmaker wins his primary, he'll take on Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine).

"I think about what I saw in Afghanistan and Iraq in terms of the lives they are living there, and then I go back to America and look at the lives and the opportunities we all have," Golden told The Hill in an interview.

"I feel really blessed," Golden said as he drove across the district to launch his campaign. "I love this country and I want to give back."

Golden said his experience working in Maine's divided state government will serve him well in Congress.

Poliquin, the last Republican congressman in New England, is no stranger to a tough race from a state lawmaker. He defeated Democrat Emily Cain in 2014 and 2016, first by 6 points and most recently by almost 10 points.

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Republicans are confident that Poliquin’s growing margin of victory is a strong sign that he'll hold on to a swing district that's home to many of the white rural voters who helped President Trump to win the state. But Democrats feel buoyed by Trump's sagging favorability rating and Poliquin's support for the GOP's unpopular ObamaCare repeal plan

Poliquin political advisor Brent Littlefield welcomed Golden to the race with a statement blasting him as too liberal for the district, which Trump won by 10 points.

“Young Jared Golden looks good on the surface but diving deeper you find an extreme Augusta liberal politician,” Littlefield said, according to the Portland Press Herald.

“Golden has consistently voted against needed welfare reforms, he voted to support illegal immigration sanctuary cities, socialist bureaucratic healthcare, and Golden even earned a D rating from the NRA for opposing Maine’s sportsmen and 2nd Amendment rights.”

Golden pushed back on Littlefield's statement.

"Who is this guy calling young? Fifteen years ago, I was fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. What was he doing?" Golden said.

"I'm a combat veteran who grew up in CD-2. Look at the bills I've sponsored and passed: helping veterans, helping first responders, helping fund public education. Does that sound liberal to you?"