‘I’m Running’: Susan Collins Launches Re-Election Bid As GOP Fights To Hold Crucial Senate Seat

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) made her re-election bid official Tuesday, unboxing a pair of New Balance running shoes and announcing, “This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running.”

The announcement launches what is expected to be a fiercely competitive general election in Maine following speculation that Collins would retire instead, according to POLITICO.

The race has already grown contentious, especially in the Democratic primary between Gov. Janet Mills and populist Graham Platner. Platner has drawn scrutiny over past controversies, including a now-removed tattoo featuring a Nazi symbol and old Reddit posts in which he described himself as a “communist.”

“Susan Collins pledged to only serve two terms in the Senate,” Platner said in an X post responding to Collins’ launch. “That’s just one of a hundred reasons she doesn’t deserve a sixth term.”

Governor Mills said Sen. Collins “has had almost three decades to prove that she’s the right leader for Maine in this critical moment — and she’s failed. Seniority without a backbone is just tenure, and another term won’t fix that. It’s time for her to go.”

The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as a toss-up. Collins faced a similarly high-stakes contest in 2020, when she defeated Democrat Sara Gideon with nearly 51% of the vote compared to Gideon’s roughly 42%.

The Republican lawmaker has secured the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which typically supports incumbents and contenders it views as best to win general elections.

“From protecting Social Security to supporting small businesses, no one works harder and is more dependable at delivering prosperity and opportunity,” NRSC Chairman Tim Scott said. “I’m confident Susan will defeat whoever emerges from the messy Democrat primary, because Mainers know they can always count on her.”

Collins has had a complicated relationship with President Donald Trump, who has publicly criticized her and other Republicans over past War Powers Resolution votes and at one point said they “should never be elected to office again.”

Despite past tensions, Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, stood alongside Trump at the Oval Office signing ceremony last week, along with other lawmakers, as the partial government shutdown ended. She is the lone Republican in New England’s congressional delegation.