Susan Collins hedges while congratulating Biden for 'apparent victory'

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), fresh off her own electoral victory, recognized Joe Biden as president-elect in a statement Monday, though it remains less clear where she stands on the state of the election, as President Trump's campaign sets out to challenge the results in several states.

Collins, who has a reputation as a moderate and sometimes breaks with Trump, congratulated Biden on his "apparent victory," adding that Trump "should be afforded the opportunity" to explore his legal options. At the same, she said, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris "should be given every opportunity to ensure that they are ready to govern on January 20th," suggesting she believes the transition of power should get underway soon.

The somewhat muddled response ended with a call for patience and an assurance that the U.S. election process would not fail its citizens.

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Collins is the fourth sitting Republican senator to acknowledge Biden's victory, following Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.).