Eight years ago, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine was greeted with applause and gratitude at Bangor International Airport after her decisive vote against her own party’s far-right health care bill. The moment felt almost cinematic, a rare instance of bipartisan appreciation for a politician who had, in the eyes of many Mainers, stood up for the public good against intense party pressure. Collins herself described the reception as “amazing,” a word that captured both her surprise and the public’s relief, according to NBC News.
Fast forward to August 2025, and the political winds in Maine have shifted dramatically. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Searsport, Collins was met not with applause, but with a chorus of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” from demonstrators who interrupted her speech repeatedly. Protesters criticized her for not holding town halls, questioned her voting record on health care, and accused her of celebrating new spending while federal budget cuts threatened essential services like food assistance. At one point, Collins pleaded, “Could you please just listen, for just one ...” only to be cut off by a protester shouting, “We’d like you to listen!” The Midcoast Villager reported that the crowd’s frustration was rooted in what they saw as a disconnect between Collins’ public appearances and her actions in Washington.
This palpable frustration isn’t isolated. A statewide poll released in April 2025 by the University of New Hampshire and the American Association of Public Opinion Research found that a staggering 71% of Mainers do not believe Collins deserves to be re-elected. The senator, who had once been lauded for her independent streak, now faces skepticism from both the left and the right as she prepares for a likely re-election campaign in 2026—despite an earlier pledge to limit her time in office.
Collins’ complex political balancing act was on full display just days after the Searsport event. At the Maine Sheriffs Association breakfast in Old Orchard Beach on August 28, she addressed a room of law enforcement officers about scams targeting the elderly, the opioid crisis, and illegal marijuana grow houses. But outside, protesters gathered once again, holding signs and voicing their discontent. Moira Myers, a local resident, held a sign reading, “Prison without due process is a concentration camp,” and told the Portland Press Herald that Collins needed to “stand up and follow her conscience, and the Constitution. Use her voice and her power to stop all this.”
Inside, Collins took the opportunity to criticize the Trump administration’s abrupt firing of Susan Monarez, the newly appointed director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Monarez, an infectious disease researcher who had been on the job for only three weeks, was dismissed following a reported clash with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy. Collins, who said she had met and spoken with Monarez several times, told reporters, “I am extremely alarmed at the firing of the CDC director. I see no basis for her firing. It is highly significant that her removal led to the immediate resignation of four other top officials who have served at the CDC for decades in some cases.”
The resignations, according to Collins and corroborated by the Portland Press Herald, were attributed to the increasing politicization of the CDC and ongoing leadership concerns. Collins added, “She’s been on the job only three weeks, and I am very concerned about and alarmed by this removal.” She also voiced strong opposition to Kennedy’s earlier decision in June to remove all 17 sitting members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, calling it “very alarming.”
Yet, Collins’ stance on these issues hasn’t shielded her from criticism on other fronts. She voted in February to confirm Kennedy—who has a controversial history of criticizing vaccines and linking them to autism—to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While she’s pushed back on some of Kennedy’s actions, including cuts to National Institutes of Health research grants, her overall record has left both progressive and conservative Mainers unsatisfied. Democrats want her to stand up more forcefully to former President Donald Trump, while Republicans wish she’d show greater party loyalty.
The 2026 Senate race is shaping up to be one of Maine’s most closely watched contests in years. Collins has indicated her intention to seek another term, and while she has yet to officially launch her campaign, she ended the spring quarter with more than $5 million cash on hand, having raised $2.4 million in recent months, according to Maine Morning Star and the latest Federal Election Commission filings.
On the Democratic side, the field is quickly becoming crowded. Graham Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan, Maine, announced his candidacy on August 19, 2025. In just nine days, Platner’s campaign amassed $1 million in donations, with an average contribution of $33 and 98% of all donations coming in under $100. Platner’s grassroots momentum is evident in his recruitment of over 2,700 volunteers for phone banking, text banking, and door-knocking efforts. “I am completely humbled and frankly overwhelmed by the support we have gotten in just over a week,” Platner said in a statement. “We are truly building something special here in Maine, and I am honored that it is powered by tens of thousands of small contributions, and not a single corporate PAC check.”
Platner’s campaign has drawn attention for its progressive policy ideas and for the involvement of strategists with a track record of challenging establishment Democrats. Platner himself has rejected the “liberal” label, instead positioning his campaign as one that appeals to working-class Mainers—including some supporters of Donald Trump. He’s also teamed up with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson for an upcoming Labor Day rally in Portland, signaling a coalition of progressive and populist forces.
Other Democratic challengers are also making their presence felt. Jordan Wood, a progressive former congressional aide, leads Collins’ challengers in fundraising with $1.6 million as of June 30, 2025. Independent candidate Phillip Rench has raised just over $54,000. Meanwhile, establishment Democrats in Washington are actively trying to recruit Maine Governor Janet Mills to enter the race. Mills, who has said she is “seriously considering” a run, is expected to make a decision by mid-November.
As the race heats up, Mainers find themselves at a political crossroads. The state’s senior senator faces mounting pressure from both sides of the aisle, a restive electorate, and an energized field of challengers. The next year promises to be a defining one for Maine politics, with the outcome likely to reverberate far beyond the state’s borders.
For now, the applause that once greeted Susan Collins at Bangor International Airport has faded, replaced by a chorus of voices demanding answers and accountability. The senator’s ability to navigate these turbulent waters will determine not only her own political future but also the direction of Maine’s representation in Washington.
