Susan Collins Didn’t Have a Chance

The Atlantic: “Collins betrayed no hint of concern. Around 9:40 p.m., she made a long, beaming pass through the party. As Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ filled the room, Collins accepted hugs and handshakes, small gifts and words of encouragement. She peered at the laptop screen of a Republican staffer who showed her a rosy analysis of the latest returns. Maine counts its votes at an agonizing pace, and as Collins worked the crowd, it was still possible for Republicans to believe she might defy the odds one more time.”

“Collins’s stroll around the ballroom was, in retrospect, not a victory lap but a farewell. She would not return to the party. Shortly after midnight, she called the Democrat Troy Jackson to congratulate him on his win. By that late hour, the ballroom throng had thinned to just a few dozen people, and Collins made no concession speech.”