HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — The political headwinds facing Senator Susan Collins, the Maine Republican, appear to be holding strong despite the collapse of her former Democratic opponent.
Graham Platner's withdrawal from the race, brought on by months of scandals and capped by a rape accusation, helped a party struggling to maintain its lead over the conservative incumbent as the November midterms near. Series of damaging reports on his potentially illegal and surely distasteful behavior cost him support from more moderate and independent voters, despite Collins's unpopularity in the state.
As Democrats unite around a new candidate, former state Senate President Troy Jackson, the five-term Republican appears to be slipping once again in her bid to hang onto her decades-old seat. A recent University of New Hampshire poll shows Collins disliked by over half of independent Mainers while the GOP's image suffers nationally.
Fifty-three percent of unaffiliated residents told the school over the past week they have a bad opinion of the Republican, whose party has been weighed down by the Trump administration's negative perception. Only a quarter of independents like Collins.
Her standing may depend on whether President Donald Trump's place in the polls stays low—his approval rating has hovered around 40% for months—and on Jackson's ability to exploit the president's unpopularity. Trump is disliked in Maine, which has grown more liberal over the past several years.
Jackson, who is poised to claim the Democratic nomination, has sought to attach Collins to the president's unpopular actions, like the healthcare cuts made by his One Big Beautiful Bill.
"When she talks about bringing money into the hospitals, how much more money did she take away from hospitals in the Big Beautiful Bill?" Jackson asked during a debate last week. "I mean, that is what the problem is, is she won't stand up for the average working class people in this state."
Collins, showing her moderate nature, has made a point of announcing and explaining her opposition to some Republican positions. The senator has backed resolutions aimed at restricting Trump's ability to continue the Iran war, which most of her GOP colleagues have enabled.
“As I have said since these hostilities began, the President’s authority as Commander-in-Chief is not without limits," she said in an April statement. "The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace."
Collins's past support for the war may still come back to bite her. The conflict has raised prices across the country, weakening the GOP's ability to counter Democratic messaging on the all-important economy and keep control of Congress.
