United States Senate election in Maine, 2020

United States Senate election in Maine, 2020
November 3, 2020

 
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent U.S. Senator

Susan Collins
Republican

The 2020 United States Senate election in Maine will be held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Maine, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

The race gained specific interest among Democrats after Susan Collins vowed to vote "Yes" to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, a highly controversial move that resulted in several millions of dollars being raised to support the eventual nominee of the Democrats to oppose her.[1]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Potential

Democratic primary

Senator Collins has been largely seen as one of the few "swing" votes in the U.S. Senate in an age of increasing polarization. While she opposed attempts in the 115th Congress to repeal Obamacare, she has a record of voting in favor of Republican judicial nominees. Her position became critical at the height of the 2018 midterm elections, in which the Republican Senate and President Trump were pushing for the confirmation of controversial nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. In preparation for Collins to vote yes, and once she announced she would, liberal activist groups mobilized to fund her 2020 Democratic opponent. As of October 5, 2018, it was reported that groups associated with activist Ady Barkan and Democratic campaigns had already raised over $2 million, and pledged the money to her eventual Democratic opponent.[1] The funds eventually reached $3.7 million. In response, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley pledged to raise $3 million to support Collins.[3]

Democratic nominee for the 2018 US Senate election Zak Ringelstein has announced that if he does not win that election, he will challenge Collins in 2020.[4] Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Sara Gideon and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice have both expressed interest in running for the seat, following Collins's announcement that she would be voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.[5]

Candidates

Declared

Individuals who have publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

References

  1. 1 2 "Susan Collins Just Raised $2 Million for Whoever Decides to Run Against Her". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  2. ↑ Thistle, Scott (June 8, 2018). "Federal judge rejects Max Linn's effort to run in Maine Republican primary". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ Keller, Megan (October 9, 2018). "Grassley pledges to raise $3M for Collins after Kavanaugh fight". The Hill. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Ringelstein, Zak [@RingelsteinME] (September 24, 2018). "If @SenatorCollins votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, I will make it my mission to defeat her in 2020, either as her colleague, or as her 2020 opponent. Chip in to help me stand up to Susan Collins and Brett Kavanaugh: secure.actblue.com/donate/zak_vs_collins# …" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 3 "Prominent Democrats are already threatening to run against Susan Collins". VICE News. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  6. ↑ Dr Cathleen London [@DrChaya] (July 16, 2018). "I am running because #SCOTUS cannot wait @SenatorCollins needs to realize that Maine & the country are watching & she will be held accountable for her votes #mepolitics My announcement: www.doctorcatlondonforme.com/_api/media-share-server-for-video/crp5?instance-id=5f191a6c-020c-4fc6-9b82-2786411308cb&component-id=comp-jjog8axh&channel-id=2435a32f-3d87-4ae1-aac4-b8175b02e63c&video-id=b3603e263c0a42348786f1c1f8fe8d60&bi-token=8a23ff18-94ae-0e5a-0a87-60cb8863dede … @DrCat4ME" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 CNN, Dan Merica, Eric Bradner and Gregory Krieg,. "The effort to unseat Susan Collins in 2020 is already underway". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  8. ↑ Prengel, Kate (2018-10-06). "Sara Gideon: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  9. ↑ Gideon, Sara [@saragideon] (October 5, 2018). "I'm focused on expanding our House majority in #ME and electing @JanetMillsforME as our governor, but after 11/6 I will be seriously considering how I can elevate the voices of people who deserve and demand to be heard and represented in DC. www.facebook.com/sara.gideon.9/posts/10212872157629705 … #mepolitics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Stuart, Tessa (2018-10-05). "Anti-Susan Collins Campaign Raises $2 Million, Crashes During Kavanaugh Speech". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  11. ↑ "Does Collins already have a challenger in Maine? 'Me,' says former Obama official". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  12. ↑ Rice, Susan [@AmbassadorRice] (October 5, 2018). "Many thanks for the encourgement. I'm not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I am deeply disappointed in Senator Collins' vote for Kavanaugh. Maine and America deserve better" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Lach, Eric (October 8, 2018). "What Susan Rice Told The New Yorker About Maybe Running Against Susan Collins in 2020". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 8, 2018. But my bottom line is that I’m going to give it due consideration, after the midterms. I’ll take a look. My ties to Maine are long and deep.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Villeneuve, Marina; Peoples, Steve; Pace, Julie (October 9, 2018). "Democrats lining up to consider challenging Collins in 2020". Associated Press. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Jonathan Martin on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
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