Senator Susan Collins’ record of being an independent voice has become a central flashpoint in the Maine Senate race, as she faces a competitive challenge from former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat, ahead of November's midterms. Democrats hope to tie Collins, a Republican, to President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in the Pine Tree State, arguing that she only votes against him when her vote does not count. However, Collins has pointed to numerous major votes in which she has sided against the administration on some of Trump’s top priorities.
Maine generally leans toward Democrats, having backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by 7 points in 2024. But Collins has been able to easily win reelection in the past due to her personal popularity and moderate, bipartisan image. Whether or not Mainers still view her as independent in the Trump era could be critical to her reelection chances, so this has become a key issue for both campaigns with less than six weeks until Election Day.
Jackson spokesperson Maggie Amjad told Newsweek that Maine voters “aren’t stupid” and “see the game that Susan Collins is playing.” “The vast majority of Collins’ votes—96% of the time—have been with Donald Trump. In the moments when it mattered, Collins sided with Donald Trump and Washington Republicans—including voting to confirm the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and helping advance legislation that slashed nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid to pay for massive tax breaks for the wealthy.
Susan Collins has spent 30 years in Washington selling out Maine and putting billionaires first,” Amjad said. Newsweek also reached out to Collins' campaign via email. A report from CQ Roll Call found that Collins voted with Trump 95 percent of the time in 2025.
The only Republicans with lower scores were Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky, making her one of the least pro-Trump senators. Still, Democrats have noted she does vote with Trump most of the time, with Jackson hitting out at her voting record earlier in September. Her vote in favor of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during Trump’s first term was seen as a major turning point in her popularity among moderate Democrats.
Maine Democrats have also criticized her for voting to confirm several judges they say are opposed to abortion rights. Other positions she has taken, including her support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and her vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, have also drawn scrutiny.
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