Maine's Collins Wins Fourth Term in Senate
As expected, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) defeated Democratic challenger Shenna Bellows in the Nov. 4 midterm elections, to win a fourth term in the Senate, according to press reports.
Collins’ candidacy was never in serious danger. Polls had her safely ahead of her opponent. She had garnered key endorsements from labor organizations, as well as the endorsement from Angus King, the state’s independent senator who caucuses with Democrats.
In debates, there were instances when Bellows appeared outmatched by the seasoned Collins, who touted her occasional support of Senate Democrats.
LIVE BLOG: Breaking election news
ELECTION SCORECARD: Who won and by how much
“A campaign statewide for the United States Senate depends not just on the candidates but on having a great grass-roots organization, and nobody has been blessed with a better group of supporters than I have,” said Collins at her election night party at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel before the polls closed. “We had 560 people chairing every community, every county, all of them volunteers. That’s the largest grass-roots volunteer effort ever in Maine history. There are so many people who made a difference in this campaign.”
On trucking, Collins’ win injects momentum for her effort in the Senate to suspend certain limits on the time truckers can operate on the road.
Since this summer, Collins has been leading an effort in the chamber to suspend for a year the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requirement that drivers take off two consecutive periods of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. during a 34-hour restart. The proposal also calls for FMCSA to conduct a study of the rule.
Her proposal was attached to a fiscal 2015 transportation funding bill, and proponents are urging Senate leaders to call up that measure during the post-election lame duck period.
First elected to the Senate in 1996, Collins is now the top Republican on the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. In that post, she has collaborated with Democrats to craft legislation that funds the Department of Transportation’s popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grant program.
Despite her moments of bipartisanship, Collins opposes the Obama White House on several positions. She supports the Keystone XL pipeline, and has voted against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate-related rulemaking.
"I just called Susan Collins to congratulate her on winning the Senate race. Thank you to all of my supporters" - Shenna Bellows #MEPolitics
— Bellows for Senate (@Bellows4Senate) November 5, 2014
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as the Democratic nominee for Senate here in Maine. Thank you again" -Shenna #MEPolitics
— Bellows for Senate (@Bellows4Senate) November 5, 2014
