GOP Senator's Spokesman Calls Democratic Challenger A 'Disrespectful Twit'

WASHINGTON -- A spokesman for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) posted a tweet Monday evening calling Shenna Bellows, Collins' Democratic challenger, a “disrespectful twit."

The spokesman, Lance Dutson, later deleted the comment, which he posted during a debate between the two candidates. He also apologized for the remark.

Adam Sarvana, a spokesman for the Bellows campaign, told The Huffington Post that Bellows had not received an apology from Collins or her campaign. The Bellows campaign also called out Collins for the tweet in an email sent out after the debate.

In an interview with the Bangor Daily News earlier on Monday, Collins said that she does not run negative campaigns.

"I’ve always run positive campaigns. I campaign on my record and what I want to do for the people of Maine,” Collins told the paper.

According to HuffPost Pollster, Collins has a substantial lead over Bellows with just a week to go until the election.