Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon (D) announced she will challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in 2020, the Portland Press Herald reports.
Gideon said she will run against Collins “because Mainers deserve a senator who will always put our state first.”
Maine Speaker Expected to Challenge Susan Collins
Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon (D) is expected to formally announce in the coming weeks that she’s running for Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) seat in 2020, five Democratic sources confirmed to HuffPost.
Susan Collins’ Approval In Free Fall
A new Critical Insights poll in Maine finds Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) approval rate at just 41%, down from 58% last spring and 51% last fall.
Just 34% of Maine voters approve of President Trump, down from 41% last fall.
Susan Rice Won’t Challenge Collins
Susan Rice, who served as national security adviser under President Obama, won’t be challenging Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in 2020, the AP reports.
Manchin Endorses Collins for Re-Election
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) endorsed Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for reelection on Thursday, “in a rare rebuff of partisan politics in an increasingly polarized Senate,” Politico reports.
“The moderate West Virginia senator also offered to campaign for the vulnerable Maine incumbent. It’s a boon for Collins, who Democrats likely need to beat if they hope to take the Senate majority in 2020.”
Collins Raising Nearly All Money From Out of State
“Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the most vulnerable Republican senators in 2020, raised more than $1.1 million in itemized contributions during the first three months of the year. But less than 1 percent of that money came from her home state,” Roll Call reports.
Just 13 Maine residents gave Collins more than $200 in contributions.
Susan Collins Gets a Primary Challenger
Derek Levasseur, a conservative blogger, has announced that he’ll run a Republican primary against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “as she approaches a 2020 re-election race promising to be one of the more competitive ones in a year with a difficult map for Democrats,” the Bangor Daily News reports.
Kavanaugh Dissent Turns Focus Back to Susan Collins
“Democrats and liberal groups on Friday pointed to a Supreme Court ruling in an abortion case to argue that Justice Brett Kavanaugh would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, focusing their ire on Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who supported Kavanaugh’s nomination last year and faces a tough 2020 reelection,” the Washington Post reports.
“The outcry from the left follows the court’s 5-to-4 vote to block a restrictive Louisiana abortion law… While Democrats hailed the decision, they pointed to Kavanaugh’s dissent as a sign that he is poised to side with conservatives in future rulings on abortion rights.”
Collins Built War Chest From Brett Kavanaugh Vote
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “had the best fundraising quarter of her life in 2018, boosted in part by her decision to support Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court,” the HuffPost reports.
“Collins raised $1.8 million in the last quarter of the year, but just $19,000 of that money came in itemized donations ― contributions of $200 or more ― from residents of Maine.”
Endangered GOP Senators Try Two Different Strategies
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Collins Preparing to Run for Re-Election
Sen. Susan Collins (R) said “she is preparing to launch her reelection campaign for 2020 but hasn’t yet made a final decision,” Politico reports.
Said Collins: “I am getting prepared, and I’ll make a final decision toward the end of this year.”
Grassley Pledges to Raise $3 Million for Collins
SEnate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) promised to raise $3 million to support Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to counteract anger over her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, The Hill reports.
Said Grassley: “I’m going to help raise $3 million to match that.”
More Than $4 Million Raised to Oppose Collins
Susan Rice Mulls Senate Bid In Maine
Susan Rice, a former national security adviser to President Obama, said that she will decide after the November elections whether to launch a bid to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), claiming the lawmaker has “betrayed women across this country,” the Washington Post reports.
Effort to Unseat Susan Collins Is Underway
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “was already one of the Democrats’ biggest Senate targets in 2020 when she took to the Senate floor Friday to announce she would vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But Collins’ decision to back the Supreme Court nominee after he was accused of sexual assault was instantly controversial with not only the hundreds of activists who flooded the Capitol this week but also with Democratic activists in her home state of Maine who have opposed Kavanaugh’s nomination for weeks,” CNN reports.
“By the time she finished her speech, Democrats in Maine had begun speculating who might challenge the moderate Republican. And progressive activists are pouring in money to fund the eventual challenger, raising millions of dollars online to unseat Collins.”
$2 Million Already Raised for Future Collins Opponent
Activists have now raised nearly $2 million for a future Democratic opponent of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) if she votes in favor of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Collins is expected to announce her final vote at 3 p.m. ET.
Voting for Kavanaugh Could Hurt Collins In 2020
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Maine finds that if Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) votes for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, 47% of Maine voters said they would be less likely to vote for her when she runs for re-election, while 31% said they would be more likely to support her.
Key findings: 49% of Maine voters think Collins should vote against Kavanaugh and 56% don’t think she should vote on the nomination until there’s been a full review of Kavanaugh’s documents.
Trump Wants LePage to Run for Senate
President Trump is pushing Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) to run for the U.S. Senate, the Washington Post reports.
“Trump has told advisers he plans to call Mr. LePage, the bombastic governor who endorsed him in February 2016, and ask him to jump in against Sen. Angus King (I-ME) in 2018 — and that he would endorse him. King is an independent who often caucuses with Democrats.”
