Sara Gideon, Democratic speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, announced Monday she would be running to unseat Sen. Susan Collins in 2020.
“Susan Collins has been in the Senate for 22 years. And at one point maybe she was different than some of the folks in Washington, but she doesn’t seem that way anymore,” Ms. Gideon said in her announcement video.
Ms. Gideon, who has served in Maine’s House since 2012, was expected to declare her candidacy against the longtime Republican senator following the end of the state’s legislative session last week.
She blasted Ms. Collins voting for the 2017 tax overhaul “where almost all of the benefits went to corporations and the wealthy.”
“And Susan Collins’ vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court may be paying off for her, but it’s put women’s control of their own health care decisions in extreme jeopardy,” she said.
Ms. Collins’ support of Mr. Kavanaugh following his sexual assault allegations led to calls for candidates who could unseat her from the office she’s held since 1997.
In response to Ms. Gideon’s announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee released a statement touting Ms. Collins as being the “most independent” U.S. senator, according to the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index.
“Susan Collins is the most independent Senator in the country because of her ability to work across party lines to get things done for Maine. Chosen by Schumer and Washington Democrats, Sara Gideon is an extreme partisan who will give away Maine’s voice to radical leftists like Pelosi and AOC,” said NRSC spokesperson Nathan Brand in a statement to The Washington Times.
Ms. Gideon will face off against Betsy Sweet, who ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, and Saco, Maine, attorney Bre Kidman.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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