Republican senator from Maine , Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term in the US Senate in the 2026 midterm elections where she will be facing Democratic candidate Troy Jackson. She has represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 and currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee which oversees federal government spending. Collins was first elected in 1996 and won re-election in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020, becoming the first Republican woman to win five terms in the Senate.
She also highlighted her role in securing federal funding for projects across Maine.
She also ran for governor of Maine in 1994 but lost to independent candidate Angus King. Lawrence University in 1975 as a Phi Beta Kappa member. In 2018, she supported the Know the Lowest Price Act and the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act. In January 2026, she announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had ended its operations in Maine after she urged the administration to reconsider its approach. Collins was subjected to immense scrutiny in 2018 after voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. However, in 2022, Kavanaugh voted to overturn Roe v. Collins also faces criticism from Democrats including her 2026 Senate opponent Troy Jackson over her voting record and her alignment with President Donald Trump .
Because she believed he would protect existing laws, although she supports abortion rights, she voted for him. However, Democrats continue to question her independence from the Trump administration. Before entering the Senate, Collins served as Maine’s commissioner of professional and financial regulation. She graduated from St. After her graduation, she worked for Maine Representative and later US Senator William Cohen. She went on to serve as Maine’s commissioner of professional and financial regulation. Collins is married to Thomas A. Daffron, a political adviser and lobbyist. The couple lives in Bangor, Maine. Collins has focused extensively on healthcare, prescription drug costs, Social Security and medical research as a Senator. Collins supported legislation that aimed to reduce prescription drug costs and increase access to affordable medicines. She also supported the CREATES Act which aimed to prevent pharmaceutical companies from delaying the entry of generic medicines into the market. Collins has supported enforcing federal immigration laws and securing the US border. However, she also opposed some of the Trump administration’s enforcement tactics in the state. Furthermore, she supports the protection of certain immigrants brought to the US which mainly consists of children, seasonal workers, farmers etc. During her time as a Senator, she secured federal funding for projects in Maine including infrastructure, community development and local institutions. Wade and end the national right to abortion. Despite the backlash, Collins states that she does not regret supporting his confirmation. Jackson questioned whether Collins would stand up to the Trump administration. Collins defended herself by highlighting her bipartisan record and argued that she had voted against her party on several occasions. However, her independent voting records also garnered backlash from conservatives.
Describing herself as a “bipartisan senator”, Collins is known for sometimes voting against her own political party. These two laws banned pharmacy “gag clauses”, allowing pharmacists to tell patients if paying in cash is cheaper than using their insurance.
