Four candidates running for U.S. Senate in Maine will appear on the debate stage together Friday for the first time in one of the most closely-watched races in the country. The running battle between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic rival Sara Gideon, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, could determine control of the U.S. Senate. It has drawn national attention and a steady flood of out-of-state contributions — the campaigns and outside donors have so far poured more than $60 million into appealing to Maine's one million registered voters. The two will be joined onstage by Max Linn and Lisa Savage, independents who, while not polling in the double-digits, could play spoiler roles in the ranked-choice election.
"We're glad we can offer voters an up-close look as the candidates make their case under questioning," Cliff Schechtman, the executive editor of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, said. "It's so vital now for the public to have enough information to make an informed decision."
Gideon has for months held a slim but steady lead over Collins, who has struggled to square her moderate, bipartisan reputation with the vagaries of hardline Trumpism.