Susan Collins, the Maine Republican senator who is a top target of Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, on Tuesday launched her campaign for a sixth term in office.
She is expected to face one of the toughest re-election battles of the year, as victory in Maine is seen as essential to Democrats’ hopes of winning back control of the Senate, and putting a halt to Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. First elected in 1996, Collins is among the few Republican senators who occasionally defy the president, and is the only one representing a state that the president did not carry in his successful re-election bid two years ago.
“True leaders bring both sides together to seek common ground, not shout the loudest or seek the most social media clicks. I have a proven record of working for you, and I’m running for reelection because my experience, seniority and independence matter,” Collins wrote in an op-ed published in the Bangor Daily News of Bangor, Maine.
Collins has had a rocky relationship with Trump since beginning his second term. While she voted to confirm much of his cabinet, she opposed several of his most controversial nominees, including the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and FBI director, Kash Patel. She also voted against passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, his signature legislative achievement, and another measure stripping funding from public media and foreign aid programs.
The president has recently lashed out at her, saying Collins and other senators who voted in support of a war powers resolution to block further attacks on Venezuela “should never be elected to office again”.
In her re-election announcement, Collins depicted herself as a free thinker and champion for her state in Washington DC’s partisan fray, noting that she voted in support of Joe Biden’s $1.2tn bill overhauling the nation’s infrastructure, and has also channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to Maine from her position leading the powerful Senate appropriations committee.
“I consistently approach issues with an eye toward pragmatic results rather than through the distorting lens of ideology. My record is based on achieving outcomes for Maine and the nation, and that speaks louder than any vague, sweeping campaign promise,” Collins wrote.
Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, is among the Democrats who are seeking to unseat Collins, along with Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and marine veteran. They will face off for the Democratic nomination in the 9 June primary.
Along with North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska, Maine is one of four states Senate Democrats are targeting to undo the GOP’s 53-seat majority in the chamber. Though Maine has not supported a Republican at the presidential level since 1988, Collins has defeated successive Democratic challengers, including the former statehouse speaker Sara Gideon in 2020 after what was the most expensive political campaign in the state’s history.
“Collins talks about independence, then votes with Donald Trump when it matters most,” said Lauren French, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Pac, which supports Democrats. “Maine deserves leadership that understands today’s challenges and has the energy to actually fight for working people, not another six years of excuses and fake concerns.”
