Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic opponent Sara Gideon sparred on health care and the nation’s coronavirus response during a Thursday debate that saw the two candidates heavily criticize each other’s records in office. Collins, a 24-year senator, and Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, are in a heated, expensive race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate. Both candidates were on the offensive Thursday, with Collins criticizing Gideon for the Maine Legislature’s failure to meet since March and Gideon portraying Collins as beholden to Republican President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
