GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine formally announced on Tuesday that she will seek re-election this year to a sixth 6-year term in the Senate.
“GOOD NEWS! I am ALL-IN for 2026,” the 73-year-old lawmaker emphasized in a post on X.
In a video, the lawmaker pulled a sneaker out of a shoebox and said, “This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running.”
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Collins was one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict after the House impeached President Donald Trump in 2021 — but that Senate vote occurred after Trump had already departed from office and ultimately fell short of the threshold necessary for conviction.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Tuesday, but did not immediately receive a response.
Collins, a moderate Republican lawmaker in the blue-leaning northern New England state, has served in the Senate since 1997.
“As a proud native of Maine, I’ve dedicated my life to serving our state and nation. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support Mainers have shown me over the years. It is an honor to serve you, and I’m excited to announce my run for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2026,” she noted in another post on X.
Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election in a state then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 election. And she is the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s (DSCC) top target as they try to win back the Senate.
The Maine Democratic Party argued in a statement that “Susan Collins has spent the last 30 years betraying Maine, from stripping Mainers’ affordable health care, to casting the decisive vote to confirm Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, to voting with Donald Trump 94% of the time.”
“She now faces some of the lowest approval ratings of her career because Mainers see through her political games and fake shows of concern. In November, we will reject her at the ballot box,” added state party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson.
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the senator as “a proven leader who delivers results for Maine. I’ve worked closely with her and have seen firsthand her work ethic and effectiveness. We need Susan Collins in the U.S. Senate and in the fight to deliver results for Maine and America.”
And National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair Sen. Tim Scott called Collins “a battle-tested leader whose fierce independence has led to historic wins for Maine.”
But in a closed door NRSC briefing last week to Senate Republicans, Scott pointed a ballot box deficit the GOP’s facing in the latest Fox News national poll, and said it could impact specific Senate races this year.
GOP sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that Scott said the toughest challenge may be in Maine.
Meanwhile, the president targeted Collins and several other Senate Republicans in a Truth Social post last month, saying they “should never be elected to office again.”
The five GOP senators apparently earned Trump’s ire by voting in favor of motion to discharge a joint resolution to direct the president to nix any use of the U.S. armed forces against Venezuela.
“Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” he asserted in the Truth Social post.
But such criticism from Trump and her policy breaks with the president may be beneficial to Collins, who needs support from independents and some Democrats to earn re-election.
Collins has also taken issue with the Trump administration over its unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration, and its aggressive deportation efforts. The administration has received backlash following the fatal shootings by federal enforcement agents of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota who were protesting immigration operations.
In a January 27 post on X Collins noted that she had “spoken with the White House and with DHS Secretary Noem about the ICE operations. I asked Secretary Noem to pause the operations in both Maine and Minnesota,” she indicated.
Then in a January 29 post, Collins noted, “While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine.” She explained that “ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years.”
Collins is likely to face two-term Democratic Gov. Jane Mills, who has the tacit support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the DSCC, or political newcomer, veteran, and oyster farmer Graham Platner, who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, in November. The Democratic primary, which is expected to be competitive, is scheduled for June.
