2002 United States Senate election in Maine

2002 United States Senate election in Maine

November 5, 2002

Nominee Susan Collins Chellie Pingree Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 295,041 209,858 Percentage 58.44% 41.56%

Collins:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Pingree:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election Susan Collins Republican Elected U.S. Senator Susan Collins Republican

The 2002 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins won re-election to a second term.

Candidates

Democratic

• Chellie Pingree, State Senator and Senate Majority Leader

Republican

• Susan Collins, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1997

General election

Campaign

Pingree attacked Collins for supporting the Bush tax cuts. Both candidates opposed the Iraq War in the fall of 2002. However, Collins then supported the congressional resolution to attack Iraq, while Pingree opposed it.

Collins, a popular moderate, was supported by health care groups, environmentalists and gay rights advocates. She handily defeated Pingree in one of the first U.S. Senate elections in which both major parties nominated women in U.S. history.

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 19, 2002

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely R	November 4, 2002

Results

General election results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Susan Collins (incumbent)	295,041	58.44%	+9.25%
	Democratic	Chellie Pingree	209,858	41.56%	−2.31%
Majority			85,183	16.87%	+11.57%
Turnout			504,899	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Androscoggin (largest city: Lewiston)
• Cumberland (largest municipality: Portland)
• Kennebec (largest city: Augusta)

See also

• 2002 United States Senate election