PORTLAND – Maine’s congressional delegation on Monday expressed relief that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales decided to step down.

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, who suggested it was long overdue, said Gonzales’ decision was “appropriate, necessary and I believe in the best interest of our nation.”

“The resignation today of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales comes well after the American people had lost confidence in his ability to continue serving in his capacity as head of the Justice Department,” Snowe said in a statement.

Likewise, Republican Sen. Susan Collins described the resignation as “a positive step forward” for the Justice Department. “Attorney General Gonzales’ ability to lead the Department of Justice had been undermined by his serious errors in judgment and conflicting statements,” Collins said in a statement.

Gonzales, formerly President Bush’s White House counsel, was the nation’s first Hispanic attorney general. He served more than two years at the Justice Department.

Republicans and Democrats alike demanded Gonzales’ resignation over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys. Bush had defiantly stood by his Texas friend until accepting his resignation Friday. Gonzales’ decision wasn’t announced to the public until Monday.

Snowe and Collins said they hoped Bush would name a successor who will restore confidence.

“It is my hope that the president will select a replacement who is widely respected and possessing of impeccable credentials and integrity, so that the Justice Department can regain the trust of the American people,” Snowe said.

Collins added that she hoped “the president will name a strong successor who will begin to restore confidence in the Department.”

Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen agreed that a change in direction was needed.

“Both Mr. Gonzales and his predecessor, John Ashcroft, leave a legacy of working all too often for political gain and to restrict the rights and freedoms of Americans, rather than protecting them,” Michaud said.

Allen described Gonzales’ tenure as “the most troubled and controversial” since John Mitchell, President Nixon’s attorney general, who went to prison after convictions for conspiracy, obstruction of justice and perjury.