BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — One of the Democrats vying for the opportunity to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Thursday that he’s dropping out and endorsing the state’s House speaker in the Democratic primary.
Former Google executive Ross LaJeunesse said in a statement that he’s determined “that given current circumstances, there is no longer a path to victory for our campaign.”
LaJeunesse said fellow Democrats Betsy Sweet and Bre Kidman “are running for the right reasons” but that House Speaker Sara Gideon “is the only Democrat who can beat Susan Collins.”
“We cannot afford six more years of Susan Collins putting Mitch McConnell and the Republican party ahead of Mainers. It is time to unify behind one candidate to give Mainers the voice in Washington we deserve,” he wrote.
Collins’ campaign didn’t immediately response to a request for comment.
Collins is facing perhaps the toughest reelection fight of her career as she seeks a fifth term. Democrats see her as vulnerable. They’re attacking her votes for the GOP tax cut and for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanagh.
LaJeunesse, a Maine native, was former director of international relations for Google and was an adviser to former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He and his husband moved back to Biddeford last year.
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