GOP Sen. Susan Collins wants to debate Democrat Sara Gideon 16 times

Sen. Susan Collins' (R-Maine) oversized debate request is probably not a good sign for her campaign.

Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon won the state's Democratic primary Tuesday night to challenge Collins, and soon called for five debates between herself and Collins before the election. Collins seemed to think that was a good idea in a letter congratulating Gideon, but decided "five debates is far too limited a schedule for such an important race."

Instead, "16 live, televised, in-person debates, one in each of Maine's counties," will be appropriate, Collins suggested. "Let's have the first one this evening," she added, closing the letter with "I hope to see you in person this evening" without naming a time or place.

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Collins' response reads as a joke, but it's not exactly clear why she's making it. Limited polling and fundraising numbers indicate Gideon will be giving the moderate incumbent a tight race, so Collins may simply be worried of losing the seat she's held for four terms. After all, as CNN's Manu Raju noted when President Trump tried to add more debates to his docket this fall, it's a "rule in politics" that "if you're demanding more debates, you know you're losing."