Sara Gideon concedes to Susan Collins in the Senate race

On November 4, Maine Democrats were faced with election results that were upsetting and unexpected for many. 

In the state’s Senate race, Democrat Sara Gideon conceded, and Senator Susan Collins was elected for her fifth term. 

Leading up to Gideon’s concession, there was an atmosphere of political tension between Republicans and Democrats, especially because the outcome of this election would contribute to which political party would dominate the Senate. 

Ellie Batchelder `23J worked on Gideon’s research team this semester, and, in an interview with The Colby Echo, explained tthe outcome from her perspective.

“So in the case of Maine, I’m assuming the people on Gideon’s staff were looking at the numbers and just not seeing that there is a way she could pull, you know, gain enough percentage points to match up to Susan Collins or bring Collins down to below 50%. So, it didn’t really seem like there would be a way to-- you know, this is my assumption, but that she could’ve won the race. So, she did concede prior to Collins claiming that she won the race,” Batchelder said.

The Senate race this year was arguably the most competitive in Maine’s history, and a lot was at stake. 

“This Senate race was one of the most competitive, or thought to be one of the most competitive races in the country in this election cycle because the ballots of the Senate and what party would gain the majority was at stake in this election,” Batchelder stated. “So, had Sara Gideon won, and had other Democrats across the country in other competitive races won, it would’ve allowed the Democrats to potentially gain control of the Senate, which would have put the Democratic Party in a really good position, especially if Joe Biden does win the presidential election.”

This is significant because if one party has control over the Senate, and another over the House or White House, the passing of legislation will go much more smoothly. Moreover, having partisan consistency allows the president to stick to their agenda and focus on their tasks, something crucial at the moment.

“This is also more important now than ever because of the polarization of the political climate. So, we’ve seen the past four years that Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader for the Republican Party, is just wanting to get through all of Trump’s policies and if there was a Democrat in this position and Democrats had a majority in the senate in the case that if Trump was in office, they would have some power to lock the legislation that the Trump Administration was trying to push through. And, if Biden was in office, having a Democratic majority in the Senate and having this in the House would allow things to get done a lot easier,” said  Batchelder.

There is potentially more to come in January regarding the Senate Race. 

According to Batchelder, “if the Senate elections are not yet over, there will likely be two run off elections in Georgia, in January, which still could give Democrats control depending on, also, on the Biden race. You know, it would have put Democrats in a different position if they had to take control of the Senate and the White House if they had to keep their majority in the House of Representatives as well.”

Not only was this election arguably the most competitive in Maine’s history, but this race was also the most expensive. $25.6 million were spent on the Maine Senate race this year, with money pouring in from all over the country. 

“There was a lot of outside interests and that resulted in a lot of money coming in from out of state. It definitely was a lot of money that came in and some of that was from in state because Susan Collins you know, this will be her 5th term so a lot of Mainers are ready to see her go. But, also, a lot of people from outside the state were really encouraged by the competition of this race and wanted to support it.”

Although many Democratic voters were devastated by the results, Gideon’s campaign was still successful, raising awareness to issues around health care reform, dealing with the pandemic, and addressing racism in the United States. 

“Obviously, people are completely sad that this is the way that Maine voters voted, but are also really proud of the campaign that was run,” said Batchelder. 

Gideon’s concession also ended on a hopeful note, as her work is far from finished. Batchelder views the end of her campaign as an opportunity for us to reflect on what we really value in our political leaders and to make more informed decisions in the future. 

“My perspective of her concession speech and just the note that the campaign ended on is that this seems like a really important moment for Mainers moving forward, regardless of the result of the race. And, I think that her campaign, for me, has really emphasized that Mainers are ready for a change and that didn’t occur in this election, but I am optimistic that this will continue and I think it definitely emphasizes the need for a change,” she said. “I think her campaign has highlighted many ways in which Susan Collins is not working for the state of Maine,” Batchelder said. “This is just the beginning and this work will continue to push forward these goals even though they weren’t successful in this election.”

If anything, now that the election is over, we can surrender our feelings of uncertainty and work towards accepting the results.

~ Jenna Boling `24