Susan Collins, Republican senator from Maine seeking sixth term in 2026 midterm elections

Susan Collins is a Republican US senator from Maine seeking a sixth term in the November 2026 midterm elections. (X @SenatorCollins )Describing herself as a “bipartisan senator”, Collins is known for sometimes voting against her own political party.

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 also ran for governor of Maine in 1994 but lost to independent candidate Angus King.

She graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1975 as a Phi Beta Kappa member. 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. In 2018, she supported the Know the Lowest Price Act and the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act. These two laws banned pharmacy “gag clauses”, allowing pharmacists to tell patients if paying in cash is cheaper than using their insurance.

She also supported the CREATES Act which aimed to prevent pharmaceutical companies from delaying the entry of generic medicines into the market. Additionally, Collins co-authored the Social Security Fairness Act which nullified two provisions that reduced Social Security benefits for people receiving certain public pensions.

She even founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus in 1997 and has advocated for an increased federal funding for diabetes research. Collins has also strongly backed the funding for the military and veterans’ programs. Also Read | Will the US face another government shutdown this fall?

What to know as Senate tussle over funding bill intensifies 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.

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. 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. Collins has emphasized the importance of trade with Canada, which serves as Maine’s neighboring country and a major trade partner.

In August 2026, she urged the Trump administration to resume negotiations with Canada and reach a trade agreement to reduce uncertainty for businesses and consumers. She went on to criticise tariffs on Canadian goods, warning that they could raise costs for businesses and harm Maine’s economy, including its forest products industry.

She urged both governments to negotiate and come up with a solution. In February 2026, Collins supported the Trump administration’s initial military action against Iran, citing that Iran’s capabilities of developing nuclear weapons can be a major threat to security, calling it “the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism”.

However, in April 2026, she voted in favor of a resolution which aimed to end the hostilities until Congress continued military action. She stated that the US-Iran conflict needed clear objectives and a defined strategy.

Collins showed her support for legislation that addressed the use of AI in elections and the risks of AI-generated political misinformation. In April 2025, she joined a bipartisan group of senators in order to introduce the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act.

This act sought to restrict materially deceptive AI-generated audio, images and videos used in certain political advertisements. A 2026 financial disclosure by Forbes placed Collins among five US senators with significant investments linked to the AI data center boom.

Also Read | Trump Promises Cash and Bailouts to Woo Midterm Voters Worried About High Prices Collins was subjected to immense scrutiny in 2018 after voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Although she supports abortion rights, she voted for him because she believed he would protect existing laws.

However, in 2022, Kavanaugh voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and end the national right to abortion. Despite the backlash, Collins states that she does not regret supporting his confirmation. Collins also faces criticism from Democrats including her 2026 Senate opponent Troy Jackson over her voting record and her alignment with President Donald Trump.

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.

According to a financial disclosure reported by Politico, Susan Collins’s net worth is estimated to be between $3.93 million and $9.6 million. A June 2026 report from Graham Platner’s campaign stated that Collins earned $342,520 in interest and dividends in 2025 and held up to $4.8 million in stocks and bonds.

As Collins seeks a sixth term in the Senate, her long political career, legislative record and voting history continue to draw attention. Her bipartisan record and decades of experience in the political landscape of Maine will be crucial as she faces Democratic candidate Troy Jackson.

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