Susan Collins Facing Uphill Climb to Reelection in Maine

Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is facing an uphill climb to reelection in her state, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll. The poll shows she is five points behind Sara Gideon, her Democratic opponent.

Gideon, the Democratic Speaker in Maine’s House of Representatives, leads Collins 49 percent to 44 percent. 45 percent of voters say they view Giden favorably compared to 40 percent who say they view her unfavorably.

50 percent of voters say they have a favorable view of Collins; 47 percent say otherwise.

Collins’s strongest voting bloc is comprised of voters between the ages of 45 and 65. She leads Gideon by four points here: 49 percent to 45 percent. Gideon has more support among voters between the ages of 18 and 44 and has a 19-point lead: 56 percent to 37 percent.

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Collins has faced considerable opposition since 2018, when she voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court despite widely publicized hearings in relation to allegations that he sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, a former classmate. Her popularity took a further hit after she voted to acquit President Donald Trump following a heated impeachment process.

“I believe that the President has learned from this case. The President has been impeached. That’s a pretty big lesson. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future,” she said at the time.

Later, Collins said she believes a better word would have been “hopes.”

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.