Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine officially announced her reelection bid for Senate Tuesday, despite repeated criticism from President Donald Trump.
“This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running,” Collins said in an announcement video, showing her unboxing a pair of sneakers.
Collins touted her record of hammering out bipartisan solutions in a Bangor Daily News op-ed on Tuesday.
“I have a proven record of working for you, and I’m running for reelection because my experience, seniority and independence matter,” Collins wrote.
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Her decision to run again is good news for Republicans, who were eager to keep the longtime senator in the race in a key battleground state. Collins is expected to face off with either Gov. Janet Mills or oyster farmer and veteran Graham Platner after the June Democratic primary.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee called her “battle-tested” in a post on X about her run.
Collins raised nearly $8 million in 2025, according to Federal Election Commission filings. She has slightly more than that figure in cash on hand.
But she told Punchbowl in an interview published Tuesday that she doesn’t “underestimate that this is going to be a very tough race.”
“Can I get my constituents, who I’ve worked so hard for, to focus on my record and my accomplishments for them?” Collins told the outlet. “The Democrats are trying very hard to make this a referendum on Donald Trump.”
But Collins isn’t just facing criticisms from Democrats. The president repeatedly went after her last month over her vote for the Venezuela war powers resolution. After the vote, Trump named Collins as one of five Republicans who “should never be elected to office again.”
Trump also gave Collins a “profanity-laced” phone call after the vote. He also called her a “disaster” during his Detroit speech Jan. 13.
Collins defended herself at the time.
“The president obviously is unhappy with the vote. I guess this means that he would prefer to have Governor Mills or somebody else,” Collins said in January.
Trump gave Collins some brief praise during a bill signing on Feb. 3.
“You’re doing good,” he told her during televised remarks in the Oval Office, where she and several others held red hats that read “America is back.”
Both Democratic candidates have taken shots at Collins since the launch of their campaigns.
Mills criticized Collins for her vote on the Venezuelan war powers resolution, often describing Collins as “a day late and a dollar short” when it comes to standing up to Trump.
“Months ago, Susan could have stood up to Trump, reasserted Congress’s authority, and held him accountable — she refused, voting no on virtually the same resolution,” Mills said in an X post. “She won’t do the right thing when needed — only if it serves her politically — and Maine people are fed up.”
The Republican National Committee said Tuesday that both Democrats are “committed to a radical socialist agenda.”
“Maine Democrats are in a race of extreme vs more extreme – the only question is which of their candidates will run farther to the left to claim victory in this messy primary,” RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci said in a statement.
This article has been updated with additional information.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS, VTDigger and The Maine Monitor.
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