Current:Home > MyIndependent US Sen. Angus King faces 3 challengers in Maine -Elevate Capital Network
Independent US Sen. Angus King faces 3 challengers in Maine
Rekubit View
Date:2025-04-07 05:21:54
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King is seeking another term that would make him the oldest senator to serve from Maine, but three candidates are vying to end his three-decade political run.
King, who was first elected to the Senate in 2012, said he still can help bridge the gap in an increasingly divided Washington, expressing concern that “we’re losing the middle in the Senate.”
“I think I have a role to play to bridge the divide, to listen to people, to bring people together and to compromise to solve these difficult issues,” he said when he launched his reelection bid.
King is being challenged by Republican Demi Kouzounas, a former GOP state chair, dentist and U.S. Army veteran, and Democrat David Costello, a former senior government official who led the Maryland Department of the Environment and the climate and clean energy program at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Also in the race is another independent, Jason Cherry.
Maine uses a voting system that allows residents to rank candidates on the ballot. If there’s no majority winner, the last-place candidate is eliminated, those voters’ second-choices are applied, and the votes are reallocated.
The 80-year-old former governor would be the oldest senator in state history if he completes a third term ending in 2030, but he was not dogged during the campaign by questions about his age like President Joe Biden was before stepping down as the Democratic presidential nominee.
King has survived a pair of cancer scares. He was treated for malignant melanoma — a skin cancer — at 29 and had surgery for prostate cancer in 2015.
In Washington, he is part of an increasingly small number of senators in the middle with the departure of Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.
King has long said he doesn’t want to be tied to any party, though he caucuses with Democrats, and that served him well in a state where independents used to represent the largest voting bloc. But both major parties have overtaken unenrolled voters in sheer numbers in recent years.
veryGood! (57)
Related
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Can South Carolina’s Haley and Scott woo the GOP’s white evangelical base away from Trump?
- More mayo please? Titans rookie Will Levis' love for mayonnaise leads to lifetime deal
- Jason Kelce's 'cheap shot' sparks practice-ending brawl between Eagles, Colts
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- In the 1930s, bank robberies were a craze. This one out of Cincinnati may take the cake.
- See the Moment Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s Daughter Olympia Met Her Baby Sister
- Russia’s Putin stays away over arrest warrant as leaders of emerging economies meet in South Africa
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Washington Commanders end Baltimore Ravens' preseason win streak at 24 games
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- 'Unearthing' couples the natural world with the meaning of family
- Man dies while trying to rescue estranged wife and her son from river in New Hampshire
- Knicks sue Raptors, allege ex-employee served as a mole to steal scouting secrets
- The seven biggest college football quarterback competitions include Michigan, Ohio State
- Arrest made in death of 1-year-old girl left in hot van outside of Nebraska day care
- Camila Alves Dispels Getting High, Laid Back Image of Husband Matthew McConaughey
- Russia’s Putin stays away over arrest warrant as leaders of emerging economies meet in South Africa
Recommendation
USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
Minneapolis mayor vetoes measure for minimum wage to Uber and Lyft drivers
UPS workers approve 5-year contract, capping contentious negotiations
Demi Lovato, Karol G and More Stars Set to Perform at 2023 MTV Video Music Awards
The GOP and Kansas’ Democratic governor ousted targeted lawmakers in the state’s primary
'Rust' armorer's trial set for 2024 in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on movie set
As cities struggle to house migrants, Biden administration resists proposals that officials say could help
Harvard's Drew Gilpin Faust says history should make us uncomfortable