Sen. Susan Collins. AUGUSTA, Maine. - Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins pulled off a narrow election night victory, defeating her primary Democratic rival, Maine state lawmaker Sara Gideon.
According to FOX News, Collins will avoid a runoff after Gideon conceded Wednesday. Independents Lisa Savage and Max Linn were also on the ballot.Collins’ road to victory was anything but easy.
She was first elected in 1996 and has won every re-election race since then, but she faced fierce competition this political cycle.
A recent Colby College poll showed Gideon with 47% of likely voters and Collins with 43%.Democrats had hoped to flip the seat in efforts to win back the Senate.The party heavily criticized Collins for voting to confirm Supreme Court.