MAINE, USA — It’s no secret that the Maine U.S. Senate race has seen big money—easily becoming the most expensive race in Maine state history. The recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign filing deadline was Thursday, revealing Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins was outraised by her Democratic opponent, Sara Gideon, by more than $31 million in the third quarter alone.
In the last filing before the election, candidates disclose their fundraising numbers between July 1 and Sept. 30. The filings show Gideon raised $39.4 million in that period, bringing the total for the cycle to $63.6 million.
Gideon’s third-quarter haul puts her in company with Democrats Jamie Harrison, who is running for Senate in S.C. to unseat Lindsey Graham, and Mark Kelly, running in Arizona to unseat Martha McSally, who have broken the previous single-quarter fundraising record: Beto O’Rourke in 2018 with $38 million.
Collins reported raising $8.3 million in the third quarter. Her campaign total now stands at roughly $25.2 million, with $6.6 million cash on hand at the end of September.
Collins campaign Communications Director Annie Clark said, "We finally know what Speaker Gideon has been doing since she adjourned the legislature in March. While Senator Collins was writing the PPP to help Maine workers and small businesses survive, Sara Gideon was raising nearly $40 million for herself."
The fundraising comes from individual donors, as well as contributions from various political committees, like PACs, and transfers from other authorized committees. Collins had $7.4 million in individual contributions, around $317,500 from political committees, and $580,600 transferred from other authorized committees.
Individual contributions accounted for about $38.5 million of Gideon's total third-quarter haul; $250,600 came from political committees, and around $538,000 was transferred from other authorized organizations. Gideon had $22.7 million cash on hand at the end of September.
With the election just three weeks away—though more than 100,000 Mainers have already voted—the filings signal a final push for the candidates in the hotly contested race. Polls remain tight, and ranked-choice voting could play a role in the overall outcome.
Independent Lisa Savage has raised a total of $174,700 since she began her campaign; Independent Max Linn has not filed any campaign data with the FEC.
The Gideon campaign did not immediately respond for comment.
