Maine Democratic congressional candidate Matt Dunlap is drawing attention after saying during a recent virtual town hall that abortion and gender-affirming care may ultimately need to be protected through the U.S. Constitution.
Dunlap, Maine’s state auditor and the Democratic nominee in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, made the comment during a September 22 virtual event. He is running for the open seat against former Republican Gov. Paul LePage in a closely watched 2026 congressional contest. The district is considered politically competitive, and Dunlap is seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jared Golden.
During the event, host Erin Oberson asked Dunlap how he would approach abortion and what Democrats commonly describe as “gender-affirming care” if elected to Congress.
“How would you protect access to necessary reproductive healthcare, including gender-affirming care and abortion care,” Oberson asked.
