Popular incumbent Sen. Angus King is facing three challengers for a third six-year term representing Maine in the U.S. Senate.
They are Republican Demi Kouzonas, Democrat David Costello, and independent candidate Jason Cherry.
Mr. King is an independent but caucuses with Democrats, and polls in mid-September showed him holding a solid lead over his three opponents. Fifty-three percent of potential voters said they would vote for Mr. King, compared to 23% for Mr. Kuznas, 8% for Mr. Costello and 1% for Mr. Cherry.
Maine uses ranked-choice voting, and if no candidate receives 50% or more of the votes, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and the voters who selected that candidate as their top choice are given the next vote. Votes will be redistributed among candidates. This process continues until someone receives a majority of votes.
Jim Melcher, a political science professor at the University of Farmington in Maine, said King would receive more than 50% of the vote in the first round, even though the conservative core of the district “can’t stand him.” I’m predicting it. But even if they don’t, Melcher thinks ranked-choice voting will work in his favor because people who choose Democratic candidate Costello will beat King over Koznas.
King, 80, has been president since 2013 and served as governor of Maine from 1995 to 2003. King said in May that he decided to run for re-election because “we are losing centrists in the Senate.” In an interview with Maine Public Radio, he said his top priorities if re-elected would be housing, border security and affordable child care.
Who is the King’s challenger?
Demi Kouzonas
Kouzonas, 68, is a veteran dentist from Saco. She served as the head of the Maine Republican Party from 2017 to 2023 and is a former Northeast co-chair of the Republican National Committee. He said he was encouraged to run by Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins and plans to “link arms” with her.
As the child of Greek immigrants, she wants to make sure she realizes the American Dream, which seems to be in decline. Kozunas’ priorities include tackling inflation, securing the border and promoting bipartisan solutions.
david costello
Costello, 63, was born in Bangor and now lives in Brunswick. He has held a variety of political positions, including serving as Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment and Interim Director of the Climate and Clean Energy Program at the Maine Natural Resources Council.
Mr. Costello has called for an end to gridlock in Washington, and his priorities include women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ freedoms and climate change. He is touting a “reform agenda” that includes eliminating the filibuster, passing the Voting Freedom Act and increasing funding for nonpartisan public news broadcasts.
Jason Cherry
Cherry is a former criminal defense attorney and FBI special agent. He is calling for various constitutional reform measures, including a maximum 20-year term limit for all branches of government, a maximum age limit of 80 for service in all three branches, and mandatory qualifications for members of Congress.
He also favors immigration controls, stronger prosecutions of those who commit fraud in obtaining health benefits, and environmental protection measures.
