Maine assembly speaker, Gideon is giving tough fight to Republican senator Susan Collins.
Sara Gideon, an Indian-origin Democratic senatorial candidate in Maine state has won the endorsement of two term former US President Barack Obama in her November contest against incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins.
Daughter of an Indian immigrant father and a second-generation Armenian mother, 48-year-old Gideon figured in the list of candidates endorsed by Obama nationwide.
“I’m proud to endorse this diverse and hopeful collection of thoughtful, empathetic and highly qualified Democrats,” Obama said in a statement Monday releasing the list.
“Together, these candidates will help us redeem our country’s promise by sticking up for working people, restoring fairness and opportunity to our system, and fighting for the good of all Americans — not just those at the top,” he said.
Currently speaker of the Maine state assembly, Gideon has also been endorsed by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
The Democrats are banking on Gideon to win one of the most high profile senate races to gain a majority in the US senate, currently controlled by Republicans.
Gideon, the youngest of four children, grew up in Rhode Island, where her father worked as a pediatrician after immigrating from India.
After finishing her higher education from the George Washington University, Gideon served as an intern for US Senator Claiborne Pell.
She later moved to Maine with her husband Ben Gideon, a personal injury trial lawyer, to build her political career.
Laying stress on serving her constituency while working for larger national interests, her senatorial campaign against Collins has focused on “putting Maine first.”
Gideon, who is maintaining a narrow lead over Collins in recent polls, has also won the support of major labor unions and raised a record $23 million for her campaign.
After New Jersey entrepreneur Rik Mehta, she is the second Indian-American to have won a Senate primary race in 2020 elections.
If elected in November, she will be the second Indian American women to be elected to the US Senate after Kamala Harris, a frontrunner to be Biden’s vice presidential pick.
In her Twitter bio, Gideon describes herself first as a ‘Mom’ and then a politician. The international relations graduate has two sons, Julian and Alek who are helping her campaign with phone calls to locals.
A supporter of women’s rights, Gideon’s campaign promises to focus on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights.