The second U.S. Senate debate, hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Augusta Civic Center on Oct. 30, 2024. From left to right, moderator Rob Caldwell of NEWS CENTER Maine, independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, Republican Demi Kouzounas, Democrat David Costello and independent Jason Cherry. (Photo via Maine State Chamber of Commerce)
It is not yet clear if U.S. Sen. Angus King will return to Capitol Hill as the four-way U.S. Senate race remained too close to call, as of 3 a.m. Wednesday.
At that time, the former Maine governor had more than 52% of the vote, which would be enough for him to secure a victory in the ranked-choice race, but with 69% of the vote counted, the race had not yet been called by the Associated Press.
Republican challenger Demi Kouzounas had 33.8%, while Democrat David Costello and independent Jason Cherry had 10.6% and 2.5%, respectively, as of 3 a.m.
Even with this seat still in limbo, Republicans already gained control of the Senate by flipping seats in West Virginia and Ohio.
Though King is an independent, he mostly votes in line with the Democratic Party. However, the seat was not among those that Republican leaders had targeted to flip the Senate.
If the race comes to ranked-choice tabulation, the timing of which will be announced by the Maine Secretary of State’s Office in the coming days, Cherry will likely be eliminated and his votes reassigned to whomever the voters ranked second. The process will continue until one candidate reaches 50% of the vote.
This story will be updated.