Susan Collins and Sara Gideon are raking in cash for a potential 2020 Senate showdown

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https://bangordailynews.com/2019/07/16/politics/susan-collins-and-sara-gideon-are-raking-in-cash-for-a-potential-2020-senate-showdown/

AUGUSTA, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has raised more money for her nationally targeted 2020 re-election campaign than she did in all but one of her previous four races, but a Democratic challenger with national backing raised more than $1 million in 10 days.

The Republican incumbent raised nearly $6.5 million as of June’s end, surpassing her total haul in any of her Senate campaigns so far except her race in the Democratic wave year of 2008, when she easily defended her seat against a challenge from Tom Allen, then a sitting Democratic congressman.

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Collins raised $2 million alone in 2019’s second quarter, the most she has ever raised in a three-month period, with only $33,000 from donors who gave $200 or less. Of the rest of her money, $98,000 came from Maine donors. Overall, Collins has gotten 24 percent of her money from political committees.

Those who donated to Collins in the latest fundraising period included casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who gave $123 million to conservative causes in 2018, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Collins got $353,000 from other committees set up to benefit her and other Republicans running for re-election, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina.

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