1 week Ago By Ryan King
Moderate Sen. Susan Collins confirmed Thursday that she intends to defend her seat and vie for a sixth term in what is widely expected to be a tough cycle for Senate Republicans. Collins (R-Maine), 71, is generally seen as the most endangered Republican incumbent senator heading into the 2026 cycle, but she managed to defy gravity and cling to her seat in 2020 when President Biden won her state.
“It’s my plan,” Collins told reporters, according to the Washington Examiner . “I’m focused on the appropriations process, not elections right now, but my intention is to run.” Republicans will be forced to defend 19 of the 33 seats up for grabs in 2026, compared to the Democrats’ 14.
Historically, midterm elections are a boon for the opposition party, which will be the Democrats due to President-elect Donald Trump’s crushing victory on Nov. 5. Collins is generally ranked as the most centrist member of the Senate Republican caucus and has regularly topped the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s list of most bipartisan senators .
Back in 2020, a slew of polls had shown her trailing then-state House Speaker Sara Gideon, with every poll listed by the RealClearPolitics aggregate at the time showing the Democrat ahead, often by 4 to 7 points. Ultimately, Collins won by 8.6 percentage points, despite Biden winning the Pine Tree State by about 9 points.
Trump lost it by about 7 points last week. Collins is a rare Senate split-ticket survivor in recent cycles, with Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.
), Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) set to depart the Senate. Sen.
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.
) and Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) managed to pull off split-ticket victories last week, albeit by dramatically slimmer margins than Collins.
Democrats were particularly keen on revenge against Collins four years ago, in part, because she backed Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court despite sexual misconduct accusations against him and fears that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. The pro-choice Republican senator backed every Supreme Court nominee who’s come up for her to vote on except Amy Coney Barrett.
Collins is widely expected to be one of the linchpin votes of Republicans’ projected 53-seat control of the upper chamber. She is also hoping to chair the coveted Senate Appropriations Committee. That could put significant pressure on her as Trump increasingly demands featly from Republicans.
Recently, that was put to the test when Trump announced plans to nominate former firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his pick for US attorney general.
Collins has voiced apprehension about Gaetz, as have a bevy of other Republican lawmakers. Collins had been one of seven Republican senators who decided to convict Trump during his second impeachment related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
She is also the only Republican in either chamber of Congress representing New England. The Post contacted Collins’ office for comment. Other tough seats Republicans must defend in 2026 include Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
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