A high-profile Democrat in Maine announced she will challenge Sen. Susan Collins in 2020.
Sara Gideon, 47, announced her candidacy in a video Monday. She currently serves as speaker of the House in Maine and will first have to compete in a Democratic primary against two lesser-known candidates, liberal activist Betsy Sweet and lawyer Bre Kidman.
“Susan Collins has been in the Senate for 22 years,” Gideon said. “And at one point, maybe she was different than some of the other folks in Washington, but she doesn’t seem that way any more.”
Gideon criticized Collins’ support for President Trump’s tax bill and Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court after a bitter confirmation battle.
In her announcement, Gideon cast herself as someone who can work with others to get things done.
“Together, we’ll make sure we have a senator who’s putting Maine first,” she said.
Collins was reelected in 2014, winning more than 68.5% of votes. Hillary Clinton won the state in the 2016 presidential election by less than three percentage points.
I’m running against Susan Collins for U.S. Senate because Mainers deserve a senator who will always put our state first. Let’s build this campaign together. Will you join us? ➡️ https://t.co/mcihP9UtNE #MESen #MEpolitics pic.twitter.com/1SbV0MbMKM
— Sara Gideon (@SaraGideonME) June 24, 2019
“One of the reasons why Senator Collins has been so effective is that she has more seniority than any U.S. senator from Maine over the past 70 years. She will continue to build on her record of extraordinary accomplishments for the people of Maine,” campaign spokesman Kevin Kelley said in a statement.
