Irving Marsters Jr. said Tuesday that he can imagine sitting down for coffee with Democratic congressional candidate Jared Golden and having a good conversation about the issues of the day.

The longtime Bangor print shop owner said he’s sure Golden “is a nice guy” with “many good qualities.”

But that didn’t stop Marsters from accepting the opportunity presented him by a GOP Super PAC called the Congressional Leadership Fund to star in a new television commercial that began airing Wednesday that rips into Golden.

Golden, meanwhile, unveiled a new ad Tuesday that features the candidate sitting in a bar having a beer with state Sen. Tom Saviello, a Wilton Republican.

In the ad, Saviello touts Golden’s willingness to work across party aisles and expresses support for the Marine combat veteran who has represented Lewiston since 2014 in Augusta.

“In the Legislature, Tom and I worked together to lower taxes, provide relief to homeowners, and cut red tape that hamstrings small businesses in Maine,” Golden said in a prepared statement.

“Instead of looking for Republican ideas or Democratic ideas, we concentrated on looking for good ideas,” Golden said. “It’s what Mainers deserve from their elected officials.”

In his 30-second ad, Marsters said that Maine’s small businesses “need representatives who will keep this economy growing” and pointing out that Golden earned a zero rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses in 2016. The federation mostly backs Republicans and has strongly opposed the Affordable Care Act.

It’s one of two spots the Super PAC, which is tied to House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, is airing this week to boost the candidacy of two-term U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

The other spot lashes Golden for his support for Medicare-For-All, a proposal that would extend health care coverage to all Americans.

Marsters said he’s known Poliquin for a long time and is impressed by him.

Poliquin, he said, “is probably the epitome of a worker bee in terms of dealing with the legislation down there and representing his district.”

Marsters has had a long interest in politics stretching back to his college days when he majored in political science and worked in a congressman’s office on Capitol Hill. He has served as a council member in Brewer.

He garnered attention this year when he was the only person to donate money to U.S. Senate contender Max Linn’s failed campaign. He forked over $250 in February, he said, because he heard Linn speak and “I liked what I heard.”

He said he hoped to hear more from the candidate, but Linn’s bid to run against U.S. Sen. Angus King flopped when the secretary of state threw out so many of the signatures on Linn’s petitions that he failed to qualify for the GOP primary ballot.

Linn, who has since announced he’s going to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, in 2020, has attracted some attention for outlandish comments on social media. He recently called for Collins to be sent to a government prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba because she hesitated about approving Brett Kavanaugh for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Marsters said he hasn’t seen any of Linn’s commentary.

But, he said, he’d still like to catch up with the businessman from Bar Harbor because “he still owes me money.”

Marsters owned the Bangor Letter Shop for 38 years before handing it over last fall to his son and finance director to operate.

He said he’s glad the Congressional Leadership Fund reached out to him about making an ad.

“Certainly it’s a message that I feel strongly about,” Marsters said.

Golden said that from his vantage point, “Washington is a mess.”

“I believe we need new leaders on both sides of the aisle who have the courage to work together, even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye,” Golden said.

scollins@sunjournal.com

Former Bangor print shop owner Irvine Marsters Jr. appeared in a new political advertisement by the GOP’s Congressional Leadership Fund criticizing Democrat Jared Golden’s small business policies.

In his campaign’s new advertisement, Democrat Jared Golden shares beers with Republican state Sen. Tom Saviello of Wilton, who has endorsed Golden in the 2nd District congressional race.