Susan Collins’s Democratic Challenger Outraises Her in Maine Senate Race

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Maine Democrat Sara Gideon (D), the state’s House Speaker, has outraised incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) in Maine’s Senate race in the first quarter of 2020 while relying predominantly on small donors.

According to new filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Giden raised about $7.1 million in the first quarter of 2020. Collins, by contrast, raised $2.4 million. Gideon finishes March with $4.6 million cash on hand. Collins has $1 million, with $5.6 million cash on hand.

Maine’s Senate Race is one of the state’s most hotly contested, and polls indicate Gideon and Collins are neck and neck. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report, an election forecaster, rates the race as a “toss-up.”

Collins’s Senate seat became vulnerable following liberal opposition to her support for the Trump administration, including her vote to confirm Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite the allegations of sexual assault against him. She also received heated criticism for her vote not to impeach President Donald Trump on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress.

Although Gideon still has to win a primary race against two other Democrats to secure the party’s nomination, she has managed to outraise her intraparty opponents. She also has the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The news comes just as FEC filings showed that Jamie Harrison, a South Carolina Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Lindsey Graham for his Senate seat, outraised him during the first quarter of 2020.