Independent King wins Maine Senate race

Independent former Gov. Angus King has won the race for Senate in Maine, according to projections from multiple news sources.

His victory gives the Democrats a pickup as he is expected to caucus with them.

King has long been the favorite in this three-way contest, opening up an early double-digit lead on Republican Charlie Summers, his main competitor. Though Summers managed to close that lead to single digits in one poll, a Republican win would have relied on Democrat Cynthia Dill siphoning off support from King. She was unable to gain more than 15 percent support.

That’s in large part why the national Democratic Party stayed out of this race, making it unique among all competitive Senate races this cycle. King's high name recognition and popularity in the state made him the favorite from the start.

To avoid hurting their best chance at a pickup in Maine, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee declined to endorse a candidate in the race, and offered none of their customary strategic or financial support to Dill, prompting backlash from some in the Maine Democratic Party.

The DSCC did, however, pummel Summers, funding more than $1 million in attack ads this cycle. It seems that their strategy has paid off — King coasted to an easy win, and it’s difficult to see how he would caucus with a Republican Party that’s spent millions trying to tear him down over the course of the election.

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