2014 United States Senate election in Maine

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2014 United States Senate election in Maine
Flag of Maine.svg
  2008 November 4, 2014 (2014-11-04) 2020  
  2015 Susan Collins crop.jpg Shenna Bellows 2 by 3.jpg
Nominee Susan Collins Shenna Bellows
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote413,495190,244
Percentage68.46%31.50%

2014 United States Senate election in Maine results map by county.svg
2014 United States Senate election in Maine results map by municipality.svg
Collins:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Bellows:     50–60%     60–70%     >90%

U.S. senator before election

Susan Collins
Republican

Elected U.S. Senator

Susan Collins
Republican

The 2014 United States Senate election in Maine took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had served in the position since 1997, won reelection to a fourth term in office with 68% of the vote. [1] [2] The primary elections were held on June 10, 2014. As of 2023, this was the last time the Republican candidate won the counties of Cumberland and Knox. [3]

Contents

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Write-in candidates

  • Erick Bennett, conservative activist and director of the Maine Equal Rights Center (unenrolled as a Republican, see Campaign section) [6] [7] [8]

Declined

Campaign

Maine Republican Party Chairman Rick Bennett was critical of Erick Bennett's campaign, stating that he did not believe Erick would get the necessary signatures to get on the ballot. After making it clear the two men are not related, Rick felt that this would be due to Erick's views as expressed on his Facebook page. These included referring to U.S. Representative Mike Michaud as a "closet homo" and criticism of Nelson Mandela, comparing him to Stalin and Karl Marx. [11] Furthermore, Erick Bennett was convicted in 2003 of assaulting his wife, which was upheld by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, though he maintains his innocence. [12] Rick Bennett stated that Erick's views "do not represent the views of the Republican Party". [11]

Erick Bennett announced before the primary filing deadline on March 17 that he had left the Republican Party and would run as an independent. [6] Maine law, however, requires that an independent candidate must have not been in a political party by March 1 of the election year in order to run as an independent, meaning Bennett cannot legally run as such. [13] The Kennebec Journal reported that Bennett was a write-in candidate for the Republican nomination. [8]

On April 3, 2014, Collins' campaign announced the joint endorsement of Bath Iron Works' labor unions, which the campaign claimed was the first time the unions issued a joint endorsement as well as the first time they endorsed a Republican candidate for federal office. [14]

Polling

Hypothetical polling
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins
Bruce
Poliquin
Undecided
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013321± 5.5%64%24%12%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins
Charlie
Summers
OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 2013430± 4.7%58%31%11%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins
Someone more
conservative
Other
Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 2013430± 4.7%49%46%6%
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013321± 5.5%47%48%5%
Public Policy Polling November 8–11, 2013331± 5.4%48%44%7%

Results

Republican primary results [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Susan Collins (incumbent) 59,767 100.00%
Total votes59,767 100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Results

Democratic primary results [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Shenna Bellows 65,085 100.00%
Total votes65,085 100.00%

Independents

To qualify as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in Maine, a candidate needs to submit at least 4,000 valid signatures to the secretary of state by June 1. Any independent candidate must not have been enrolled in a political party after March 1 of the year the election occurs. [20]

Former Republican candidate Erick Bennett announced just before the March 17 primary filing deadline that he had left the Republican Party and would run as an independent, but Maine law required him to have unenrolled as a Republican by March 1 to do so. Therefore, he could not legally run as an independent. [6] [13]

Candidates

Declared

  • Erick Bennett, conservative activist and director of the Maine Equal Rights Center (unenrolled as a Republican, see Campaign section) [6]

Declined

General election

Background

Heading into the 2014 cycle, only 12 U.S. Senate elections had involved two major party female nominees in U.S. history. [22]

Candidates

Endorsements

Susan Collins (R)
Politicians
Unions
  • Bath Marine Draftsman's Association [14]
  • Independent Guards Association [14]
  • International Association of Machinists Local S6 and S7 [14]
  • Union of Painters & Allied Trades District Council 35 [26]
Organizations
Newspapers
Shenna Bellows (D)
Politicians and other individuals
Unions
Organizations
Declined to endorse

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [44] Solid RNovember 3, 2014
Sabato's Crystal Ball [45] Safe RNovember 3, 2014
Rothenberg Political Report [46] Safe RNovember 3, 2014
Real Clear Politics [47] Safe RNovember 3, 2014

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Shenna
Bellows (D)
OtherUndecided
Public Policy Polling November 8–11, 2013964± 3.2%59%20%22%
Rasmussen Reports April 23–25, 2014830± 3%60%24%6%9%
University of New Hampshire June 12–18, 2014527± 4.3%72%17%10%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov July 5–24, 20141,356± 2.7%63%28%2%6%
Public Policy Polling* August 16–18, 2014679± 3.8%57%33%10%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov August 18 – September 2, 20141,202± 4%58%26%3%12%
Rasmussen Reports September 3–4, 2014750± 4%59%31%2%7%
University of New Hampshire September 18–25, 2014482± 4.4%59%29%11%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov September 20 – October 1, 20141,531± 3%57%33%1%9%
Pan Atlantic SMS September 23–29, 2014400± 4.9%68%25%7%
Bangor Daily News/Ipsos October 6–12, 2014540 LV± 4.8%56%31%5% [48] 7%
903 RV± 3.7%53%31%7% [49] 10%
University of New Hampshire October 15–21, 2014667± 3.8%65%30%4%
Pan Atlantic SMS October 15–21, 2014400± 4.9%67%27%7%
CBS News/NYT/YouGov October 16–23, 20141,177± 5%54%35%0%10%
Bangor Daily News/Ipsos October 23–29, 2014488± 5.1%64%32%2%3%
Maine People's Resource Center October 31 – November 2, 2014906± 3.25%57%37%5%
Hypothetical polling
With Collins
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Eliot
Cutler (I)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013953± 3.2%53%33%14%
Maine People's Resource Center September 8–10, 2013652± 3.84%58%28%14%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Stephen
King (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013953± 3.2%54%31%15%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Mike
Michaud (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 20131,268± 2.8%54%36%10%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Chellie
Pingree (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 20131,268± 2.8%58%33%9%
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013953± 3.2%57%34%9%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Susan
Collins (R)
Generic
Democrat
Undecided
Maine People's Resource Center September 8–10, 2013652± 3.84%60%26%15%
With Poliquin
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Bruce
Poliquin (R)
Chellie
Pingree (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling August 23–25, 2013953± 3.2%33%47%20%
With Summers
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Charlie
Summers (R)
Mike
Michaud (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 20131,268± 2.8%32%57%12%
Poll sourceDate(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin of
error
Charlie
Summers (R)
Chellie
Pingree (D)
Undecided
Public Policy Polling January 18–20, 20131,268± 2.8%39%50%11%

Results

The election was not close, with Collins winning all 16 of Maine's counties, each by a margin of at least 24 percentage points. [50]

2014 United States Senate election in Maine [51]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Susan Collins (incumbent) 413,495 68.46% +7.13%
Democratic Shenna Bellows 190,24431.50%-7.08%
Write-in 2690.04%-0.05%
Total votes604,008 100.00% N/A
Republican hold

See also

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