2002 United States Senate election in Maine

The 2002 United States Senate election in Maine was held November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins won re-election to a second term.

Democratic

 * Chellie Pingree, State Senator and Senate Majority Leader

Republican

 * Susan Collins, incumbent U.S. Senator since 1997

Campaign
Pingree attacked Collins for supporting the Bush tax cuts. Both candidates opposed the Iraq War in the fall of 2002. However, Collins then supported the congressional resolution to attack Iraq, while Pingree opposed it.

Collins, a popular moderate, was supported by health care groups, environmentalists and gay rights advocates. She handily defeated Pingree in one of the first U.S. Senate elections in which both major parties nominated women in U.S. history.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 19, 2002

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Androscoggin (largest city: Lewiston)
 * Cumberland (largest municipality: Portland)
 * Kennebec (largest city: Augusta)