One Maine twin down, one to go:
Snowe, a moderate Republican who was often a key swing vote on partisan issues, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994. She previously represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House for 16 years.
“After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and I are in good health. We have laid an exceptionally strong foundation for the campaign, and I have no doubt I would have won re-election,” she said in a statement.
“I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions,” she said.
Saying that she does “not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” Snowe said she is not prepared to commit herself to another term when she’s not certain how productive it would be for her.
She added that the “political center” needs to return for democracy to flourish.
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