When Donald Trump was elected president, it was hoped that Maine senator Susan Collins would help keep him in line. But the moderate Republican has far too often given the president a pass. Especially offensive when she refused to vote for impeachment saying that she was sure Trump had learned his lesson.
And thanks to her actions, Collins is now facing a very tough re-election bid against Democrat Sara Gideon. The troubled incumbent senator lashed out at her opponent during a recent interview with Politico.
Collins first complained that her opponent was running a dirty campaign. She told Politico, “She will say or do anything to try to win. This race is built on a foundation of falsehoods — and trying to convince the people of Maine that somehow, I am no longer the same person.”
The long-serving Maine senator is also angry that Gideon, who was born in Rhode Island, is trying to take her spot. Collins continued, “I grew up in Caribou, I’ve lived in Bangor for 26 years. My family’s been in Maine for generations. She’s been in Maine for about 15 years and lives in Freeport. That’s a big difference in our knowledge of the state.”
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And like her South Carolinian counterpart, Lindsey Graham, Collins is angry that so much money has flowed into her race. She lamented, “It’s very frustrating because it’s backed by so much money. And it’s been going on for two years now: non-stop negative ads. That eventually it pulls you down.”
Polls have shown Gideon leading Collins by between 1-12%.
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.
