Maine | Sara Gideon for Senate

Vote Like a Girl is excited to introduce our new series: Change Candidates To Watch. As part of this series, every week in our blog, girltalk we will be highlighting progressive and exciting candidates running for office this November. Starting with senate races, today we are talking senate candidate for Maine, Sara Gideon.

Who is Sara Gideon? 

She is currently the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, a position that she’s held since 2016.  And on Tuesday, Gideon won her primary; she is now challenging Senator Susan Collins this November.  

Part of what makes this race so interesting, and so important, is Senator Collins herself. Senator Collins is a fourth term republican senator from Maine who, until recently, had almost unparalleled favorability ratings for such a long-standing politician (and was often named one of the top three most popular senators in America).

So how did Senator Collins go from one of America’s most popular senators to one at high risk of losing her seat? The easiest answer is also almost too obvious: Donald Trump. The Trump presidency has had an unprecedented effect on many moderate Republicans, pushing them further and further to the right. For years, Senator Collins was considered a moderate conservative, a self-identified centrist. She is one of the few Republicans to support abortion and women’s reproductive rights more generally. She didn’t support Trump in 2016 and hasn’t said whether she will this November. But Trump’s presidency has taken a toll on her, nonetheless. Most notably, in 2018 she voted to approve Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court, despite immense backlash (more than 2,400 law professors urged senators to reject the nomination citing his “aggressive” and “partisan” testimony and thousands of women and activists protested the nomination due to sexual assault allegations and his past record on choice). That vote from Collins raised questions about her support for women’s right to choose and has caused her favorability ratings to drop quickly.

And now she faces a real challenge with Sara Gideon, especially when it comes to the topic of women and reproductive rights. Gideon has been endorsed by Emily’s List, Planned Parenthood, and a number of other pro-choice organizations. She has worked (as Speaker in Maine, and will continue to in DC) to ensure all women have access to reproductive care and that women have control over their own health-related decisions. 

Gideon decided to run when Senator Collins voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh, because she saw a clear example of the hypocrisy that runs throughout Washington. Senator Collins made an active choice to put the interests of her party above her own once-held convictions and the interests of her state. 

It’s not just women’s rights that Sara Gideon is fighting for. During her time as speaker and state representative, Gideon has championed a number of laws combating poverty, the opioid crisis within Maine, and expanding healthcare to protect veterans, seniors and others. 

Despite all this, it won’t be an easy fight - for either of them. Susan Collins may have taken a hit in the past few years, but she is still a key member of the Republican establishment. She has taken in millions of dollars in donations, and has more name recognition than most in Washington. And while Gideon has gained traction recently, her biggest challenge is coming this November. 

How can you support Sara Gideon this November?

There are a few ways to help, even if you don’t live in Maine. You can volunteer with her campaign, phonebank, e-canvas or donate. Unlike Senator Collins, Sara Gideon is not taking any corporate PAC money, which means small donations are all the more helpful. To learn more about Sara Gideon, her priorities and how to get involved, go to our Voter Guide 2020.

At Vote Like a Girl, we know that if we engage in the fight, stay involved, hold our leaders accountable for their actions; and support women and candidates like Sara Gideon with our VOTE, our dollars and our talents...we will get the functioning democracy we deserve and the country we want. Who’s in?!

Written By: Anna Rosenfeld, Vote Like a Girl