Susan Collins Isn’t Worried — Even Though Maine Is Blue on Paper
President Trump is giving the Senate’s last moderate Republican plenty of room to maneuver. And Democrats have yet to recruit a more serious challenger.
Finally beatable?
Photographer: Kent Nishimura/BloombergIn 2020, Susan Collins’ Democratic challenger raised so much money, she couldn’t spend it all. Yet Sara Gideon lost in a blowout. Maine’s moderate Republican senator defeated her 51% to 42%, even as the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, won the state 53% to 44%.
With the 2026 midterm elections drawing near, Collins again looks vulnerable as voters across the country, especially in Maine, show signs of souring on the leader of her party, President Donald Trump. Political analyst Amy Walter detailed the dangerous terrain Collins is navigating in an efficient X post, writing in part: “…the red lights are really blaring in MAINE, where Morning Consult polling shows Trump underwater by 17 pts. SEN Collins at -16…” Quite an opportunity for the Democrats, if there ever was one, in a midterm cycle in New England.