Suzanne Collins announces her re-election bid for her Senate seat in Maine, which is being contested by Democrats

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced her re-election bid Tuesday, betting she can hold on to her coveted Maine seat despite renewed Democratic efforts to oust her in a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.

The campaign will test Collins’ political survival skills. The 73-year-old has won five terms by portraying herself as a reflection of Maine’s independent spirit, sometimes clashing with President Donald Trump while also largely supporting his agenda.

“I have always worked across the aisle to solve problems. Maine needs consistent, experienced leadership focused on getting things done,” Collins said in a statement Tuesday.

As she seeks a sixth term, Collins faces anger over her immigration enforcement tactics that could become a political liability for Republican candidates across the country. A recent operation in Maine led to the arrest of hundreds of people, but it also led to criticism that people were being arrested even if they had no criminal records.

Collins took credit for stopping the surge of federal agents in Maine after she spoke directly with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

However, Democrats accused Collins of not going further, pointing to her refusal to call for Noem’s ouster and her vote in favor of a bipartisan Homeland Security funding bill. The party needs to gain four seats to regain the majority in the Senate, and aims to do so in the states of Maine, North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio.

Gov. Janet Mills and oyster farmer Graham Blatner are among Collins’ leading Democratic challengers. While many establishment Democrats and influential left-leaning groups supported Mills, Blatner gained traction with his anti-establishment image and message of economic equality. He has campaigned aggressively while facing revelations of problematic social media posts and having to cover up a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.

Mills accused Collins of ruling “without any courage” shortly after the Republican voted to fund DHS and several other agencies in January. This accusation was repeated on Tuesday.

Read more: Trump attacks 5 Republican Senators over their vote on war powers

“Seniority without a backbone is just staying in office, and after decades in Washington, Senator Collins has failed to demonstrate the leadership required at this dangerous moment in history,” she said in a statement.

Blattner called for the dismantling of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and said he did not believe Collins or the Trump administration’s promise to leave Maine. On Tuesday, he said in a post on the social media platform X that Collins should have kept her promise to serve only two terms in the Senate.

“This is just one of a hundred reasons why she does not deserve a sixth term,” he wrote.

Platner recently brought together both Mills and Collins, according to the most recent federal filings. The first-time candidate has raised nearly $4.6 million, while Mills has raised $2.7 million. Collins, who had not yet officially launched her campaign during the filing period, had more than $8 million in cash at the end of 2025.

Collins, who said she did not vote for Trump in 2016, voted to convict the president after he is impeached in 2021 over his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. After Collins joined a handful of fellow Republicans in supporting failed efforts to limit the president’s ability to unilaterally use force in Venezuela, Trump said on social media that they “should never be elected to office again.”

But Collins also broadly supported Trump’s agenda, including the tax and spending bill, and his nominees.

Notably, Collins voted to confirm Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Since then, Kennedy has adopted an anti-vaccine policy and fired public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I’ve faced tough challenges before. Democrat Sarah Gideon raised $69 million in 2020, outspending Collins in an effort to help win back the Senate during a presidential election year when Democrats won the top ticket. Collins defeated Gideon by over 8 points.

Collins remained in office despite Maine turning increasingly blue. The share of registered Democrats has increased since her last reelection campaign, when “unregistered” independent voters outnumbered Democrats in 2019, but are now trailing them in 2026. Republicans have trailed both groups for years.

Croci reported from Providence, Rhode Island.