Collins wins 5th Senate term as Gideon concedes

[Lasher]

Source: Portland Press Herald

While a significant number of towns have yet to report election results, Sen. Susan Collins appears to have avoided a ranked-choice run-off in Maine's closely watched U.S. Senate contest.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins won Maine’s high-profile U.S. Senate race on Wednesday, defeating Democrat Sara Gideon in a contest that saw unprecedented spending as part of the national battle for control in Washington.

In a speech to supporters outside of a Bangor hotel, Collins said Gideon had called her to concede the hard-fought race. Unofficial election results show Collins leading Gideon 51 percent to 42 percent with 85 percent of precincts reporting. The two independents in the race, Lisa Savage and Max Linn, received 5 percent and 2 percent of the vote, respectively.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/11/04/collins-maintaining-lead-over-gideon-in-senate-race/

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This does not bode well for gaining Senate control.

[DonaldsRump]

1. Why did Gideon concede with 15% left and RCV to happen if Collins under 50%???

[flor-de-jasmim]

4. She should take back her concession / otherwise, what does count ALL the votes mean?

[FBaggins]

9. She probably knew which 15% were still outstanding

And couldn't assume that every single 3rd-5th place ballot picked her as their second choice.

[George II]

18. She is already over 50% and most of the outstanding votes are in her strong areas.

[MontanaMama]

2. It's horrible.

But I can't talk...Montana voted against progress of any kind on all levels last night. I am heartbroken.

[riversedge]

6. I am deeply saddened that Collins--and Moscow Mitch won. damn damn

[Sneederbunk]

3. Another Collins, Doug, has been kicked to the curb.

[riversedge]

5. Collins defeated Gideon in Lewison, Auburn, Bethel, Fryeburg and Lubec -- all towns that went soundly

strange. strange. --yet, this comment tells me these particular voters rebuffed Trump while loving their long term Senator.



.............But Collins won the vast majority of more conservative towns away from the coast and defeated Gideon by sizable margins in many rural areas. Gideon also under-performed presidential candidate Joe Biden in some towns, complicating her ability to overcome Collins’ sizable victory margins in more rural areas of interior, eastern and northern Maine.

Collins defeated Gideon in Lewison, Auburn, Bethel, Fryeburg and Lubec — all towns that went soundly for Biden over Trump. The Republican also won her hometown of Bangor by slightly more than 100 votes.

Under Maine’s ranked-choice system, voters had the option of ranking the four Senate candidate by preference. Those second-, third- and fourth-choice rankings only come into play if no candidate wins a majority of the vote on the first tally, however. In such a scenario, ballots from every polling place across Maine will be transported to Augusta for a re-tabulation that likely would not begin until next week.

[aggiesal]

14. This really doesn't sound right ...

Collins got 51%, just enough to avoid the ranked-choice system.

This really smells & sounds fishy to me.

[PoliticAverse]

19. She got 68.5% in 2014, so she was down 17.5 percentage points. n/t

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_United_States_Senate_election_in_Maine

[aggiesal]

23. I understand that ...

and knowing that pre-election polls look like they got it really, really wrong,
Gideon was tied or even ahead in those polls.
Then gets beat by about 8%, which didn't match any poll models, and Collins won
with 1% higher then is required to go to Ranked-Voting, just sounds really fishy to me.

[clementine613]

7. Another election stolen.

Gideon should have won this one.

[Historic NY]

12. By sheer stupidity.

[DeminPennswoods]

8. Dems need to ask Sen King to talk to Collins

about joining him as an Independent senator who caucuses with the Dems. She wouldn't have to kowtow to McConnell any longer and might get actual input to Senate bills.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Why concede before the votes are counted?

Ridiculous

[Bayard]

11. There's no way the most unpopular Senator in the country

Should have won another term. She even took that title over from McConnell (speaking of which, I can't believe he's in again either. I was SO pulling for McGrath).

I smell something rancid in Maine, and its not a character in a Stephen King book.......

[maxsolomon]

26. When one of your own is being attacked by "outsiders", you rally to her side.

Xenophobia 101.

[Miguelito Loveless]

13. It should now be default practice

to never concede.

Civility is for functioning democracies.

[IronLionZion]

15. Damn it. Don't concede until every vote is counted nt

[hibbing]

16. Had such high hopes for this and a few others n/t

[DeeDeeNY]

17. This and Lindsey Graham's victories are especially disheartening

[rpannier]

22. The kicker of it is, I think both of them benefitted in the Barrett hearings

Both Graham and Collins numbers began to rise after the hearings
I think because conservatives in South Carolina were thrilled Graham got her in and Collins was able to claim independence by publicly opposing them (It may have also helped her that il douche wouldn't endorse her in the week before the elections)

[iluvtennis]

20. This seat was ripe for the taking. I am so disappointed we couldn't snag it. nt

[Lasher]

21. So am I.

This was supposed to be a blue wave. Either the polls are consistently and drastically wrong, or there is a man behind the curtain. It has to be one or the other.

[iluvtennis]

25. I think the polling is wrong. It was wrong in 2016 and it is wrong in 2020. nt

[PoliticAverse]

24. Incumbants have a big psycological advantage with voters...

and Collins pulled the emergency vote against Barrett.

[diva77]

27. wasn't Gideon ahead in several polls?

[smirkymonkey]

28. How did this happen?

I just can't get my mind around it.

[mdbl]

29. makes me wonder about the people in Maine

I thought they had integrity. I guess not.