The person behind the name
Susan Collins's public career runs from a Senate staff desk in the 1970s through a state regulatory post and a federal small-business office to the United States Senate, where she has served since January 1997 and now chairs the Committee on Appropriations. [1][2]
Collins was born on December 7, 1952, in Caribou, where, by her official biography, her family runs a sixth-generation lumber business founded in 1844. She is one of six siblings raised by Pat and Don Collins, both of whom served as mayor of Caribou; her father, a World War II veteran, served in both the Maine Senate and the Maine House, one of four generations of the family to sit in the Legislature. She graduated from Caribou High School in 1971. [1]
Education and professional preparation
She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from St. Lawrence University in 1975 and went to work for Representative Bill Cohen, staying on his staff when he was elected to the Senate three years later and rising to staff director of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs. In 1987 Governor John McKernan appointed her Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation; in 1992 President George H.W. Bush appointed her Director of the Small Business Administration's regional office; and in 1994 she became the founding Executive Director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College, now Husson University. Degree years beyond the 1975 graduation and any professional licenses were not part of this review. [1]
A public life that began on a Senate staff
She was elected to the Senate in 1996, succeeding Cohen, and took office on January 7, 1997. She was re-elected in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020; her official biography describes her as the first Republican woman to win a fifth term, the seventh-most senior member of the Senate and its most senior Republican woman. In the 119th Congress she chairs the Committee on Appropriations and sits on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Select Committee on Intelligence. [1][2]
In 2026 she is seeking a sixth term. She was unopposed in the June 9, 2026 Republican primary, receiving 126,398 votes on the 137,981 ballots tabulated by the Secretary of State, the remainder left blank. The Democratic primary was won by Graham Platner with 156,084 votes, 70.2 percent of the 222,405 ballots tabulated, computed from the tabulation; Platner withdrew in July, and on July 25, 2026 a Democratic nominating convention in Bangor chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, 566 delegate votes to 5, as the opponent she faces on November 3. [6][7][8][43][14]
A note on the attendance record. Her official biography says she has cast more than 10,000 consecutive votes and “holds the longest perfect voting record in the history of the U.S. Senate.” GovTrack's count, read for this review, records 0 missed votes of 10,076 from January 1997 to September 2026; the historical superlative is the biography's and was not independently measured here. [1][2]
Life & public service
From a Senate staff desk to the Appropriations chair, the documented milestones show how the record was built.
Born in Caribou
Born December 7, 1952, in Caribou, the daughter of Pat and Don Collins, both of whom served as mayor of the town. [1]
St. Lawrence University; Cohen's staff
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa and joined the staff of Representative Bill Cohen, following him to the Senate three years later and becoming a subcommittee staff director. [1]
State regulator, SBA regional director, Husson
Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation from 1987, Director of the Small Business Administration's regional office from 1992, and founding Executive Director of Husson's Center for Family Business from 1994. [1]
The health care and tax votes
Voted Nay on July 26 on the Paul amendment No. 271 (45–55) and on July 28 on the McConnell amendment No. 667 (49–51), both to H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act of 2017; then Yea on December 20 on the Senate's motion to concur on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (51–48). [21][20][22]
The Kavanaugh vote
Voted Yea on October 6, 2018 to confirm Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, 50–48. [23]
Marriage, reconciliation and the electoral count
Yea on H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act (61–36), Nay on H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act (50–50, the Vice President voting Yea), and Yea on the December 22 motion on H.R. 2617, the omnibus into which her Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was incorporated (68–29). [28][56][27][55][29][57]
Appropriations chair; breaking with the party
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in the 119th Congress; Nay on the Hegseth confirmation (50–50), on H.R. 1 (50–50) and on the rescissions package (51–48); Yea on the November 10 bill that ended the 43-day shutdown (60–40). [2][17][15][16][18][47]
An unopposed primary, the Iran votes and a new opponent
Unopposed in the June 9 Republican primary with 126,398 votes; Nay on March 4 on the first motion to discharge an Iran war-powers resolution, then Yea on April 30, May 19 and June 23; Yea on August 8 on the fiscal year 2027 continuing resolution (90–6); faces Troy Jackson, nominated by convention on July 25 after Graham Platner withdrew. [7][62][33][51][34][52][43]
Accomplishments, in the record
Senate roll calls, committee records and official announcements establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the campaign's own figures labeled as such and credit shared where a measure was another member's initiative.
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee
In the 119th Congress Collins chairs the Committee on Appropriations and its Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and sits on all twelve of its subcommittees. The fiscal year 2026 bills passed under her chairmanship: H.R. 6938, the consolidated appropriations act, 82–15 on January 15, 2026, and H.R. 7148, the further consolidated act, 71–29 on January 30; she voted Yea on both. [2][37][38]
During the 43-day shutdown of the fall of 2025 the Senate rejected the House-passed continuing resolution, or cloture on it, fourteen times between September 19 and November 4; on November 10 it adopted her substitute amendment, No. 3937, 60–40, and passed H.R. 5371 by the same margin, ending the shutdown. Her campaign says she is the first Maine senator in nearly a century to hold the gavel and credits her with $1.484 billion in congressionally directed spending for 670 Maine projects since 2021; those are the campaign's figures, not audited here. [39][18][47][13]
On August 8, 2026 the Senate passed H.R. 6500, a continuing appropriations act for fiscal year 2027, 90–6, the day after invoking cloture on her substitute amendment No. 6732 (91–6); she voted Yea. Earlier in the year the Senate had rejected cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 7147, a further consolidated appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026, seven times between February 12 and March 26; her individual votes on those motions were not read for this review. [52][40]
Attendance and ideology, measured
GovTrack's count records that Collins missed 0 of 10,076 roll-call votes from January 1997 to September 2026, against a median of 2.8 percent among the lifetime records of sitting senators. Voteview's DW-NOMINATE first-dimension score places her at 0.124 in the 119th Congress, the lowest of the 57 Senate Republicans in that file; the ranking was computed from the file for this profile. [2][5]
The Lugar Center and Georgetown's McCourt School ranked her first among senators on their Bipartisan Index for 2023, the first session of the 118th Congress, with a score of 2.41047; her official biography says she has repeatedly been ranked the most bipartisan senator by that index. [49][1]
Bills sponsored and enacted
Congress.gov records 1,208 measures sponsored and 6,636 cosponsored since 1997. GovTrack counts 54 of her sponsored bills as enacted under its inclusive definition, which includes bills whose companion or text was carried by other legislation; the most recent it lists are S. 1077, the District of Columbia Local Funds Act, 2025, the NAPA Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act of the 118th Congress, and, from the 117th, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 and the HAVANA Act of 2021. [3][2]
GovTrack records that S. 4573, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which she introduced on July 20, 2022, was incorporated into H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, signed on December 29, 2022; she voted Yea on the Senate's December 22 motion on that bill (68–29). It is a sponsored measure carried by other legislation, not a stand-alone enactment. [57][29]
Two Nays on the health care amendments, a Yea on the tax bill
On July 26, 2017 Collins voted Nay on the Paul amendment No. 271 to H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act of 2017, rejected 45–55, and on July 28 Nay on the McConnell amendment No. 667 to the same bill, rejected 49–51. On December 20, 2017 she voted Yea on the Senate's motion to concur with a further amendment on H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, agreed to 51–48. These are recorded votes; the profile does not assess the bills' effects. [21][20][22]
Kavanaugh, and two impeachments
She voted Yea on October 6, 2018 to confirm Brett M. Kavanaugh, 50–48. On February 5, 2020 she voted Not Guilty on Article I of the first impeachment of President Trump, which failed with 48 votes to convict and 52 to acquit, two-thirds being required; on February 13, 2021 she voted Guilty on the article of impeachment against former President Trump, which failed 57–43. [23][24][25]
Her floor statement of October 5, 2018 set out the reasoning for the Kavanaugh vote: a review of his twelve-year record on the D.C. Circuit, conversations in which she said he described Roe v. Wade as “precedent on precedent,” and, on Christine Blasey Ford's allegation of sexual assault, her conclusion that although she found the testimony “sincere, painful, and compelling,” the allegations did not meet a “more likely than not” standard. She said she had called for the additional hearing and supported the supplemental FBI investigation, and closed: “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.” [58]
Infrastructure, marriage, Social Security
Yea on H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, August 10, 2021 (69–30); Yea on H.R. 8404, the Respect for Marriage Act, November 29, 2022 (61–36); Nay on H.R. 5376, the Inflation Reduction Act, August 7, 2022 (50–50, the Vice President voting Yea). [26][54][28][56][27][55]
On December 21, 2024 she voted Yea on H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which repealed the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision, passed 76–20 and became Public Law 118-273 on January 5, 2025. The enacted bill was sponsored by Representative Garret Graves; the Senate companion, S. 597, was sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown with 62 cosponsors, Collins among them as an original cosponsor, as she had been a cosponsor of its predecessors in the two previous Congresses. The campaign describes her as the law's author; the record shows Graves's and Brown's sponsorship and her original cosponsorship. [30][31][32][53][14]
Four breaks with the Republican majority
Collins voted Nay on the confirmation of Peter Hegseth as Secretary of Defense on January 24, 2025 (50–50, the Vice President voting Yea). She voted Yea on June 28 on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1, the reconciliation bill (51–49), then Nay on its passage on July 1 (50–50, the Vice President voting Yea). She voted Nay on H.R. 4, the rescissions package, on July 17 (51–48), and Yea on October 30 on S.J.Res. 88, terminating the national emergency declared to impose global tariffs (51–47). [17][50][15][16][19]
On the reconciliation bill, her office says she proposed the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program during negotiations over amendments and pushed to expand it “despite voting against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act”; Maine's first-year award under the program was $190 million, announced on December 29, 2025. [41]
Iran, and the Secure America Act
After the joint U.S.–Israeli operation against Iran began in late February 2026, Collins voted Nay on March 4 on the first motion to discharge a war-powers resolution, S.J.Res. 104, rejected 47–53, saying in a statement that day that “Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops.” On April 30 she voted Yea on the motion to discharge S.J.Res. 184, one of two Republicans to do so in a 47–50 vote; her statement said the War Powers Act's sixty-day deadline “is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.” On May 19 she voted Yea on the motion to discharge S.J.Res. 185, agreed to 50–47, and on June 23 Yea on H.Con.Res. 86, directing the President to remove forces from hostilities with Iran, which the Senate agreed to 50–48; on each she was one of four Republicans voting Yea. Her votes on the further Iran motions of June and July, all rejected, were not read for this review. [62][47][33][51][34][40]
On June 5, 2026 she voted Yea on S. 2, the Secure America Act, a five-page reconciliation bill sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham that passed 52–47 and was signed on June 10, 2026 as Public Law 119-98. Maine Public, reporting in July on the Biddeford shooting, said that a Republican-passed budget bill she had helped negotiate that spring ended a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security and provided ICE with $20 million for additional body cameras; the report did not name the bill, and this review did not establish which measure it was. [35][36][44]
Family & community
Her official biography identifies her husband as Thomas A. Daffron and says they live in Bangor with their black lab, Pepper; the campaign biography adds that the dog is eight years old. Her parents, Don and Patricia Collins, each served as mayor of Caribou; by the campaign's account her father served five terms in the Legislature and earned two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star in World War II, and her mother served on boards from the University of Maine System Board of Trustees to Catholic Charities of Maine. [1][12]
In the Senate, by the campaign's account, she founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus in 1997, co-chairs the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, and has chaired the Homeland Security Committee and the Special Committee on Aging; the campaign biography counts six constituent service centers around Maine. [13][12]
Neither her official biography nor her campaign biography states a religious affiliation, and this profile makes no claim about one. The sources reviewed document family, residence and public roles; they do not supply a verified record of charitable board service by the senator herself, and none is asserted.
Mission & priorities
“Susan Collins believes the people of Maine deserve a Senator who works as hard as they do and will always be there to represent their interests.” {11}
The following summarizes the agenda on Collins's campaign website. These are stated priorities and claimed results, not independently audited accomplishments. [11][13][14]
01Maine jobs and workforce development
The campaign says that as Appropriations chair she “has secured millions of dollars in federal investments for workforce development and training programs” and describes her as “the author of the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program” that it credits with saving and protecting more than 250,000 Maine jobs during the pandemic. The authorship and the jobs figure are the campaign's and were not measured here. [13]
02Health care and the premium tax credits
The campaign lists legislation to make Medicare telehealth flexibilities permanent and says that “Last Congress, 33% of all health care bills signed into law were authored or coauthored by Susan Collins.” On the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, FactCheck.org's review records that she voted against the Democratic funding bills that would have extended them permanently, said the issue should be handled apart from a shutdown, and in December 2025 proposed with Senator Bernie Moreno a two-year extension with a $200,000 household income cap and a $25 minimum monthly premium, and that she voted that month to advance a Democratic bill for a three-year extension, which fell short of the sixty votes needed; her office's statement of December 11, 2025 was issued after she voted to proceed to consideration of both the Democratic- and Republican-sponsored health care bills. [13][47][42]
03Alzheimer's research
The campaign says she secured a $100 million increase for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 2026, bringing the total to $3.9 billion. GovTrack lists the NAPA Reauthorization Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act, both of the 118th Congress, among her enacted bills. [13][2]
04Diabetes
Since she founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus in 1997, the campaign says, annual federal investment in diabetes research has grown more than sevenfold to $2.3 billion; it lists the Special Diabetes Programs for Type 1 research and for Native Americans among her priorities. [13]
05Social Security
The campaign calls her the author of the Social Security Fairness Act and says benefits have increased for 2.8 million Americans, more than 25,000 of them in Maine, with nearly $185 million in retroactive payments to Mainers. The record shows her Yea on H.R. 82 on December 21, 2024, the law's House sponsorship and her original cosponsorship of the Senate companion, as set out above. [13][30][31][53]
06Delivering for Maine
The campaign credits her with $1.484 billion in congressionally directed spending for 670 projects in all 16 counties since 2021, including more than $425 million for 156 investments in fiscal year 2026, from fire stations and hospitals to bridge repairs and biomedical research. Those figures are the campaign's; the appropriations votes are in the record above. [13][14]
07The lobster industry
The campaign's fundraising appeal asks supporters to help her fight for Maine's lobster industry and says: “She will never stop crossing the aisle in Washington to protect our fishing heritage and keep Maine's lobstermen working for generations to come.” No specific measure is named on the page. [11]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and voting history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes policy tradeoffs, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
Platner's corruption claims and the campaign's answer
In June 2026 Graham Platner's campaign accused Collins of co-authoring a 2007 bill to benefit her husband's lobbying firm and of steering $76 million in federal contracts to it. The Press Herald's review found that the Accountability in Government Contracting Act of 2007, which sought to eliminate a 3 percent withholding tax for federal contractors, passed the Senate unanimously and was not specific to Thomas Daffron or his employer; that Daffron did not marry Collins until 2012; that PolitiFact had rated a similar 2020 claim “mostly false”; and that federal agencies, not Congress, award contracts. Her campaign manager, Steve Abbott, said “He's lying,” and “Susan Collins has not funneled any money to Tom Daffron. That's against the law.” Platner's remaining claim concerned her personal finances, which this profile does not assess. The paper also reported a consulting relationship between Daffron and the chairman of Pine Tree Results, a super PAC supporting her; Daffron said in a statement that “In every instance, I have complied with all of the Senate's reporting requirements.” [46]
The Majority Forward ad on health costs and Iran
An ad by Majority Forward, a 501(c)(4) aligned with Senate Democrats, said she voted “to raise healthcare costs and raise insurance premiums” and to give the President “a blank check for his war in Iran.” FactCheck.org found that neither claim fully explained her position: she voted against the Democratic continuing resolutions that carried a permanent subsidy extension but proposed a capped two-year extension in December, and she voted against the early war-powers resolutions but for the April 30 resolution as the sixty-day deadline approached. The votes are in the record above. [47][33]
ICE, the Biddeford shooting and the body cameras
After ICE agents fatally shot a driver in Biddeford on July 13, 2026, Maine Democrats accused Collins, as Appropriations chair, of funding the agency without guardrails; the Maine Democratic Party said she had “voted repeatedly to provide ICE with unprecedented levels of funding with no guardrails.” Collins called for an impartial investigation; Maine Public noted the $20 million for body cameras in the budget bill she helped negotiate that spring. She met ICE leadership on July 30 and said that “By the end of August, body-worn cameras will be deployed nationwide and worn by all ICE agents in the field.” Whether that deadline was met was not part of this review. Jackson, her opponent, has called for abolishing ICE, the Associated Press reported. [44][48]
The Republican convention and the $5,000 proposal
Collins did not attend the Republican midterm convention in Texas, telling reporters on September 11, 2026 that she has always skipped conventions in her re-election years: “Because I need to be here and want to be here in Maine campaigning.” She called the President's proposal for $5,000 payments to most Americans if Republicans keep control of Congress “extraordinarily expensive,” adding: “So I don't see that as being feasible in this economic environment.” She did not join Senator Angus King's assertion that the proposal was illegal, saying she did not know the basis for it. Her recorded breaks with the administration in 2025 and 2026 are listed above, as is her Yea on the Secure America Act. [45]
The 2026 field
The Democratic nominee changed in July. Graham Platner won the June 9 primary with 156,084 votes, then withdrew after a former romantic partner accused him of rape in a story published by Politico, allegations he denied; on July 25 a nominating convention chose Troy Jackson, 566 votes to 5. Collins told the Associated Press that Jackson had become “a Bernie bro”; her campaign spokesman said the campaign “will continue to run on Senator Collins' bipartisan record of delivering results for Maine and America.” Jackson has opened by tying her to the President and the Iran war. The campaign's news listing includes a September 14, 2026 press release announcing former Senator Joe Manchin's endorsement. [8][43][48][11]
Money in the race
The FEC's summary for Collins for Senator shows $18,930,077.99 in receipts and $11,038,115.42 in cash on hand for the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2026, with no candidate loans; her leadership PAC is Dirigo PAC. Maine Public reported that the campaign raised $5.7 million in the most recent quarter and cited AdImpact's estimate that about $400 million will be spent on the Senate race. Contributions establish resources, not the record. [4][43]
The 2019 straw-donor contributions and their prosecution
Martin Kao, then chief executive of the Hawaii defense contractor Navatek, was charged in February 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2022 to conspiracy, funneling contributions and two counts of false statements for a 2019 scheme that sent $52,000 in conduit contributions to her campaign and $150,000 through a shell company to the 1820 PAC, a super PAC that supported her; the contributions followed an $8 million Navy contract to the firm for which, by her office's account, she had “strongly advocated for the funding.” Two other executives pleaded guilty in 2023 and were sentenced to probation; Kao was sentenced on October 20, 2025 to 33 months, to run concurrently with an 87-month sentence for pandemic-relief fraud. Prosecutors referred to her only as Candidate A, and the Press Herald reported no indication that she or her campaign broke any laws or were subjects of the investigation. Her office said the campaign “had absolutely no knowledge of any of the allegations against Mr. Kao or his associates until a search warrant was reported in the press,” and the campaign said it had cooperated fully with the FBI and “divested itself of all the contributions possibly associated with Mr. Kao and his associates.” [59][60][61]
Questions & answers
Who is Susan Collins?
Susan Collins's public career runs from a Senate staff desk in the 1970s through a state regulatory post and a federal small-business office to the United States Senate, where she has served since January 1997 and now chairs the Committee on Appropriations. [1][2] Collins was born on December 7, 1952, in Caribou, where, by her official biography, her family runs a sixth-generation lumber business founded in 1844. She is one of six siblings raised by Pat and Don Collins, both of whom served as mayor of Caribou; her father, a World War II veteran, served in both the Maine Senate and the Maine House, one of four generations of the family to sit in the Legislature. She graduated from Caribou High School in 1971. [1]
What office is Susan Collins running for in 2026?
Who is Susan Collins running against?
In 2026 she is seeking a sixth term. She was unopposed in the June 9, 2026 Republican primary, receiving 126,398 votes on the 137,981 ballots tabulated by the Secretary of State, the remainder left blank. The Democratic primary was won by Graham Platner with 156,084 votes, 70.2 percent of the 222,405 ballots tabulated, computed from the tabulation; Platner withdrew in July, and on July 25, 2026 a Democratic nominating convention in Bangor chose former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, 566 delegate votes to 5, as the opponent she faces on November 3. [6][7][8][43][14]
What are Susan Collins's stated priorities?
The following summarizes the agenda on Collins's campaign website. These are stated priorities and claimed results, not independently audited accomplishments. [11][13][14] The campaign lists: Maine jobs and workforce development; Health care and the premium tax credits; Alzheimer's research; Diabetes; Social Security; Delivering for Maine; The lobster industry.
What does the public record show?
Senate roll calls, committee records and official announcements establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level those records support, with the campaign's own figures labeled as such and credit shared where a measure was another member's initiative. In the 119th Congress Collins chairs the Committee on Appropriations and its Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, and sits on all twelve of its subcommittees. The fiscal year 2026 bills passed under her chairmanship: H.R. 6938, the consolidated appropriations act, 82–15 on January 15, 2026, and H.R. 7148, the further consolidated act, 71–29 on January 30; she voted Yea on both. [2][37][38]
How was this profile researched?
Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; twenty-five Senate roll calls were read for it and the defining ones are cited. Ballotpedia, Congress.gov's public pages and OpenSecrets refused automated requests during the review and are linked as reference entries but not cited; Congress.gov figures were read through its public API. Personal financial disclosures, bar or license records, degree years, the senator's individual roll calls on the rejected 2025 continuing resolutions and on the 2026 cloture motions on H.R. 7147, and her votes on the Iran war-powers motions of June and July 2026 other than those cited were not part of this review. The profile was fact-checked against every cited document on September 17, 2026. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution; campaign figures are labeled as the campaign's. Historical sources do not imply current positions. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Sources & methodology
Government records anchor the profile: Senate roll calls, the Maine Secretary of State's tabulations, the FEC's summary and the senator's official pages; independent analyses (GovTrack, Voteview, the Lugar Center, FactCheck.org) and reporting are labeled as such; campaign materials are used for the candidate's own priorities and claims.
- 01About Susan | U.S. Senator Susan Collins (official biography)collins.senate.gov · Accessed September 17, 2026
Official biography: birth in Caribou, education, Cohen staff, state and federal posts, elections since 1996, committees, the consecutive-vote claim, family and residence.Government record - 02Sen. Susan Collins — member page, committees and missed-votes recordGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Serving since January 7, 1997; Appropriations chair and subcommittee seats; 54 enacted bills under GovTrack's inclusive definition; 0 of 10,076 roll calls missed.Independent analysis or rating - 03Congress.gov member record, C001035 (Congress.gov API)Library of Congress · Accessed September 17, 2026
Birth year 1952; Senate terms from the 105th to the 119th Congress; 1,208 sponsored and 6,636 cosponsored measures. Read through the public API with its published demo key; the public member page shows the same record.Government record - 04COLLINS, SUSAN M. — candidate overview, S6ME00159Federal Election Commission · Coverage through June 30, 2026; accessed September 17, 2026
Collins for Senator: receipts $18,930,077.99, cash on hand $11,038,115.42, no loans; leadership PAC Dirigo PAC; statement of candidacy filed November 4, 2020.Government record - 05DW-NOMINATE member data, 119th Senate (S119_members.csv)Voteview (UCLA) · Accessed September 17, 2026
First-dimension score 0.124, the lowest among Senate Republicans in the file; the ranking was computed from this file for this profile.Independent analysis or rating - 06Election Results/Data — June 9, 2026 Primary ElectionMaine Secretary of State · Accessed September 17, 2026
Index of the official primary tabulations; the U.S. Senate primaries were tabulated without ranked-choice rounds.Government record - 07June 9, 2026 Primary — U.S. Senate, Republican (official tabulation)Maine Secretary of State · June 2026
Collins 126,398; blank 11,583; 137,981 ballots. Spreadsheet, transcribed for this profile.Government record - 08June 9, 2026 Primary — U.S. Senate, Democratic (official tabulation)Maine Secretary of State · June 2026
Platner 156,084; Mills 41,644; Costello 17,560; LaFlamme (declared write-in) 1,114; blank 6,003; 222,405 ballots. Spreadsheet, transcribed for this profile.Government record - 09November 3, 2020 General Election — United States Senator (official tabulation)Maine Secretary of State · November 2020
Collins 417,645; Gideon 347,223; Savage 40,579; Linn 13,508; others 228; blank 9,122. Spreadsheet, transcribed for this profile.Government record - 10Election Results 2020Maine Secretary of State · Accessed September 17, 2026
Index page linking the 2020 general-election tabulations.Government record - 11Susan Collins for Maine (campaign website, home page)Collins for Senator (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's statement of purpose, the lobster-industry appeal and the campaign's social-media links. Self-descriptions.Campaign or advocacy material - 12About | Susan Collins for MaineCollins for Senator (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Campaign biography: parents' service, career posts, past committee chairmanships, election margins as the campaign states them, residence and family.Campaign or advocacy material - 13Track Record | Susan Collins for MaineCollins for Senator (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The campaign's claims on jobs, health care, Alzheimer's, diabetes, Social Security and $1.484 billion in congressionally directed spending. Claims, not audited results.Campaign or advocacy material - 14FAQ | Susan Collins for MaineCollins for Senator (campaign) · Accessed September 17, 2026
Seeking a sixth term; $425 million in fiscal year 2026 directed spending for 156 investments; the campaign's list of laws it credits to her.Campaign or advocacy material - 15Roll call vote 372, July 1, 2025 — H.R. 1, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · July 1, 2025
Passed 50–50 with the Vice President voting Yea; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 16Roll call vote 411, July 17, 2025 — H.R. 4, rescissions, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · July 17, 2025
Passed 51–48; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 17Roll call vote 15, January 24, 2025 — confirmation of Peter Hegseth as Secretary of DefenseU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · January 24, 2025
Confirmed 50–50 with the Vice President voting Yea; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 18Roll call vote 618, November 10, 2025 — H.R. 5371, continuing appropriations, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · November 10, 2025
Passed 60–40, ending the shutdown; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 19Roll call vote 600, October 30, 2025 — S.J.Res. 88, terminating the global-tariff emergencyU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · October 30, 2025
Passed 51–47; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 20Roll call vote 179, July 28, 2017 — McConnell amendment No. 667 (Health Care Freedom Act) to H.R. 1628U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · July 28, 2017
Rejected 49–51; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 21Roll call vote 169, July 26, 2017 — Paul amendment No. 271 to H.R. 1628U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · July 26, 2017
Rejected 45–55; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 22Roll call vote 323, December 20, 2017 — H.R. 1, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, motion to concurU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · December 20, 2017
Agreed to 51–48; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 23Roll call vote 223, October 6, 2018 — confirmation of Brett M. KavanaughU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · October 6, 2018
Confirmed 50–48; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 24Roll call vote 33, February 5, 2020 — Article I, impeachment of President TrumpU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · February 5, 2020
Guilty 48, Not Guilty 52, two-thirds required; Collins recorded Not Guilty.Government record - 25Roll call vote 59, February 13, 2021 — article of impeachment against former President TrumpU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · February 13, 2021
Guilty 57, Not Guilty 43, two-thirds required; Collins recorded Guilty.Government record - 26Roll call vote 314, August 10, 2021 — H.R. 3684, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · August 10, 2021
Passed 69–30; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 27Roll call vote 325, August 7, 2022 — H.R. 5376, Inflation Reduction Act, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · August 7, 2022
Passed 50–50 with the Vice President voting Yea; Collins recorded Nay.Government record - 28Roll call vote 362, November 29, 2022 — H.R. 8404, Respect for Marriage Act, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · November 29, 2022
Passed 61–36; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 29Roll call vote 421, December 22, 2022 — H.R. 2617, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, motion to concurU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · December 22, 2022
Agreed to 68–29; Collins recorded Yea. The omnibus carried the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act.Government record - 30Roll call vote 338, December 21, 2024 — H.R. 82, Social Security Fairness Act, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · December 21, 2024
Passed 76–20; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 31H.R. 82 (118th): Social Security Fairness Act of 2023GovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsor Representative Garret Graves; passed the Senate December 21, 2024; signed January 5, 2025 as Public Law 118-273.Independent analysis or rating - 32S. 597 (118th): Social Security Fairness ActGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Senate companion sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown, introduced March 1, 2023, with 62 cosponsors; it did not receive a vote.Independent analysis or rating - 33Roll call vote 113, April 30, 2026 — motion to discharge S.J.Res. 184 (Iran war powers)U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · April 30, 2026
Rejected 47–50; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 34Roll call vote 184, June 23, 2026 — H.Con.Res. 86, removal of forces from hostilities with IranU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · June 23, 2026
Agreed to 50–48; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 35Roll call vote 163, June 5, 2026 — S. 2, Secure America Act, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · June 5, 2026
Passed 52–47; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 36S. 2 (119th): Secure America ActGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Five-page reconciliation bill sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham; passed the Senate June 5 and the House June 9, 2026; signed June 10, 2026 as Public Law 119-98.Independent analysis or rating - 37Roll call vote 11, January 15, 2026 — H.R. 6938, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · January 15, 2026
Passed 82–15; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 38Roll call vote 20, January 30, 2026 — H.R. 7148, further consolidated appropriations, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · January 30, 2026
Passed 71–29; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 39Roll Call Votes, 119th Congress — 1st Session (2025), vote menuU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The sequence of rejected votes on H.R. 5371 from September 19 to November 4, 2025, and the Collins substitute amendment No. 3937 agreed to 60–40 on November 10 (vote 616).Government record - 40Roll Call Votes, 119th Congress — 2nd Session (2026), vote menuU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · Accessed September 17, 2026
The series of Iran war-powers votes from March 4, 2026 (S.J.Res. 104, rejected 47–53) onward, and the fiscal year 2027 continuing resolution of August 8, 2026.Government record - 41Senator Collins Announces $190 Million for Maine Rural Hospitals and Providers through Rural Health Transformation ProgramOffice of Sen. Susan Collins (press release) · December 29, 2025
Her office's account that she proposed the $50 billion program during the reconciliation negotiations while voting against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Maine's $190 million first-year award.Government record - 42Press Releases, 2025 | U.S. Senator Susan CollinsOffice of Sen. Susan Collins · Accessed September 17, 2026
Listing of the office's December 2025 releases, including the December 11, 2025 statement on votes on alternatives to address the expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits.Government record - 43Troy Jackson wins the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Susan CollinsMaine Public (Kevin Miller) · July 25, 2026
The July 25, 2026 nominating convention in Bangor (Jackson 566, Pelletier 5) after Platner's withdrawal; the Collins campaign's response; the campaign's $5.7 million quarter and AdImpact's spending estimate.Independent reporting - 44Susan Collins says all ICE agents to be issued body cams by the end of AugustMaine Public (Kevin Miller) · July 31, 2026
The Biddeford shooting of July 13, 2026; the $20 million for body cameras in the budget bill she helped negotiate; the Maine Democratic Party's criticism and her response.Independent reporting - 45Collins calls Trump's $5,000 post-election payout 'extraordinarily expensive' and likely infeasibleMaine Public (Kevin Miller) · September 11, 2026
Her remarks on the proposed payments, her absence from the Republican convention and her reason for it.Independent reporting - 46Graham Platner says Susan Collins is corrupt. Here's what her record says.Portland Press Herald (Randy Billings) · June 25, 2026
The Platner campaign's claims about the 2007 contracting bill and federal contracts, the paper's findings, PolitiFact's 2020 rating and the Collins campaign's response.Independent reporting - 47Democratic Ad Attacks Collins on Healthcare, Iran WarFactCheck.org (Annenberg Public Policy Center) · May 2026
The Majority Forward ad's claims; her votes and statements on the premium tax credits and the Iran war-powers resolutions, including the March 4 and April 30 statements; the 43-day shutdown.Independent analysis or rating - 48What to know about Troy Jackson, Maine Democrats' nominee for US SenateAssociated Press, via WMTW (Patrick Whittle and Kimberlee Kruesi) · July 27, 2026
Jackson's background and positions; Collins's description of him to the AP; the fundraising picture at the start of the general election.Independent reporting - 49Bipartisan Index — 2023 Senate Scores (118th Congress, first session)The Lugar Center and Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy · 2024; accessed September 17, 2026
Collins ranked first among senators with a score of 2.41047.Independent analysis or rating - 50Roll call vote 329, June 28, 2025 — motion to proceed to H.R. 1U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · June 28, 2025
Agreed to 51–49; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 51Roll call vote 129, May 19, 2026 — motion to discharge S.J.Res. 185 (Iran war powers)U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · May 19, 2026
Agreed to 50–47; Collins recorded Yea, one of four Republicans voting Yea.Government record - 52Roll call vote 228, August 8, 2026 — H.R. 6500, continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2027, passageU.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · August 8, 2026
Passed 90–6; Collins recorded Yea.Government record - 53S. 597 (118th): Social Security Fairness Act — cosponsorsGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Collins listed as an original cosponsor of S. 597 and as a cosponsor of its predecessors, S. 521 of the 116th Congress and S. 1302 of the 117th.Independent analysis or rating - 54H.R. 3684 (117th): Infrastructure Investment and Jobs ActGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Passed the Senate with changes August 10, 2021; signed November 15, 2021 as Public Law 117-58.Independent analysis or rating - 55H.R. 5376 (117th): Inflation Reduction Act of 2022GovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Passed the Senate with changes August 7, 2022; signed August 16, 2022 as Public Law 117-169.Independent analysis or rating - 56H.R. 8404 (117th): Respect for Marriage ActGovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Passed the Senate with changes November 29, 2022; signed December 13, 2022 as Public Law 117-228.Independent analysis or rating - 57S. 4573 (117th): Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022GovTrack.us · Accessed September 17, 2026
Sponsored by Collins, introduced July 20, 2022; enacted via other measures, having been incorporated into H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, signed December 29, 2022.Independent analysis or rating - 58Senator Collins Announces She Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh (floor remarks)Office of Sen. Susan Collins (press release) · October 5, 2018
Her October 5, 2018 floor statement: the review of the nominee's record, his statements to her on precedent, her assessment of the allegations and her announced vote.Government record - 59Defense contractor pleads guilty to making illegal contributions to Sen. Collins' 2020 campaignPortland Press Herald (Colin Woodard) · September 28, 2022
Martin Kao's February 2022 charges and September 2022 guilty plea; the $52,000 and $150,000 contributions; the 2019 Navy contract; the campaign's statements and the absence of any allegation against it.Independent reporting - 60Court records tell story of a Hawaii defense contractor's attempts to influence Susan Collins and othersMaine Public (Nick Grube, Honolulu Civil Beat) · July 11, 2023
The Justice Department's account of the straw-donor and shell-company contributions, the guilty pleas of Kao's two associates and the campaign's statement.Independent reporting - 61Former Hawaiʻi Defense Contractor Gets Prison Time For Illegal DonationsHonolulu Civil Beat (Nick Grube) · October 20, 2025
Kao's 33-month sentence of October 20, 2025, to run concurrently with an 87-month sentence; prosecutors' reference to Collins only as Candidate A; the associates' probation sentences; the campaign's statement.Independent reporting - 62Roll call vote 46, March 4, 2026 — motion to discharge S.J.Res. 104 (Iran war powers)U.S. Senate (Senate LIS) · March 4, 2026
Rejected 47–53; Collins recorded Nay.Government record
No matching sources. Try “Clerk,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 17, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record; twenty-five Senate roll calls were read for it and the defining ones are cited. Ballotpedia, Congress.gov's public pages and OpenSecrets refused automated requests during the review and are linked as reference entries but not cited; Congress.gov figures were read through its public API. Personal financial disclosures, bar or license records, degree years, the senator's individual roll calls on the rejected 2025 continuing resolutions and on the 2026 cloture motions on H.R. 7147, and her votes on the Iran war-powers motions of June and July 2026 other than those cited were not part of this review. The profile was fact-checked against every cited document on September 17, 2026. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution; campaign figures are labeled as the campaign's. Historical sources do not imply current positions. Filings and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. The candidate portrait is the official portrait published on the senator's Senate website (collins.senate.gov/about), a work of the United States Government and therefore in the public domain. No campaign-owned or otherwise copyrighted photograph is used. Inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.
Voting in Maine: official dates, deadlines and rules
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The dates and rules below were read from the Maine Secretary of State; the authority's own page, linked beside each one, is the final word.
Dates and deadlines
- Online voter registration deadline5 PM on October 13, 2026 (the 21st day before Election Day), through the Secretary of State's online voter registration service at maine.gov/vote. After the mail, online and motor-vehicle deadlines, registration must be done in person at the voter's municipality. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/national-voter-registration-day-today-september-15
- Registration by mail or delivered by a third person (received by)The completed voter registration card must be received by the voter's town or city by the close of business on October 13, 2026 (21 days before Election Day). This is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline, and it also applies to cards delivered by a third person. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/general-election-two-months-away-secretary-states-office-provides-update-maine-election-1
- In-person voter registrationClose of the polls on Election Day, November 3, 2026. In-person registration has no earlier cutoff: after the October 13, 2026 mail and online deadlines and the October 27, 2026 motor-vehicle deadline, registration must be done in person at the voter's municipality. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/general-election-two-months-away-secretary-states-office-provides-update-maine-election-1
- Election Day registrationYes. Maine has same-day voter registration: a person may register and vote on the same day, including Election Day, November 3, 2026. Election Day registration is done in person, and the voter must show ID and proof of where they live. A person in line at the voting place at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day may still register and vote. Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/your-right-to-vote-in-maine
- Absentee ballots issued and mailedAbsentee voting in Maine begins October 5, 2026, and voters should start receiving their ballots in the mail in the first week of October, according to the Secretary of State. Municipal clerks issue requested ballots beginning 30 days prior to Election Day; the state's absentee ballot application says ballots will be provided to voters beginning in early October. For uniformed service and overseas (UOCAVA) voters, September 19, 2026 (45 days before Election Day) is the deadline to send ballots to already pending requests. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/us-supreme-court-upholds-right-vote-mail
- In-person absentee voting begins (Maine's way to vote early in person)October 4, 2026 (30 days before Election Day) is the date on the Secretary of State's key-dates list for the start of the in-person, no-excuse absentee voting period. A September 15, 2026 release from the same office says absentee voting in Maine begins October 5, 2026. In-person absentee voting takes place at the municipal clerk's office; contact the clerk for office hours. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/general-election-two-months-away-secretary-states-office-provides-update-maine-election-1
- In-person absentee voting endsThursday, October 29, 2026, at the close of business in the voter's town: Maine's no-excuse absentee voting period, including in-person absentee voting at town and city halls, extends through that day. After it, absentee voting in the presence of the clerk is allowed only if special circumstances exist. Read from: maine.gov/sos/news/maine-voters-can-request-absentee-ballots-nov-3-election-starting-today-ballots-will-be-mailed
- Absentee ballot request deadline (received by)The request must be received by the municipal clerk by the close of business on Thursday, October 29, 2026, unless special circumstances exist. Requests may be made online, by telephone or in writing. For voters who use the mail, the Secretary of State's absentee guide passes along a U.S. Postal Service advisory to request the ballot no later than 15 days prior to Election Day. Read from: maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/inline-files/04%2011%203%2026%20Abs%20App.pdf
Rules to know
- What to bringA voter who is already registered in Maine does not need to show ID to get a ballot, according to the Secretary of State's voter rights page. Identification matters at registration: a person registering for the first time must provide proof of residency and identity, and a person who registers on Election Day must do so in person and show ID and proof of where they live. The state's voter guide lists these as acceptable proof of identification for registering: a government document or credential with photo ID (driver's license, State ID, valid U.S. passport, military ID, ID card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe); a government ID document or credential without photo (certified birth certificate or signed Social Security card); an official document that shows the voter's name and address (eligibility for public benefits, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck); a student photo ID from a state-approved public or private school or institute of higher education in Maine; or a verified unique identifier (Maine driver's license number or the last four numbers of the Social Security number). Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/your-right-to-vote-in-maine
- Voting by mail (absentee ballot)Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot; no reason is needed. A voter may request their own ballot through the Secretary of State's online absentee ballot request service, by telephone to the municipal clerk or with a written absentee ballot application; the absentee guide adds that a voter can obtain a ballot for an immediate family member “in this same way.” Requests for the November 3, 2026 election opened on August 3, 2026 and must be received by the municipal clerk by the close of business on Thursday, October 29, 2026, unless special circumstances exist. The voted ballot must be received by the municipal clerk by 8 p.m. on November 3, 2026, regardless of postmark; it may be returned by mail, in person or, in many towns and cities, in a secured drop box. A ballot obtained and hand-delivered by a designated third person must be witnessed by a notary public, a municipal clerk, a clerk of courts or 2 other witnesses. Since December 31, 2025, any voter other than a uniformed service or overseas voter may apply for ongoing absentee voter status and automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election. Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/absentee-guide
- Voting early in person (in-person absentee voting)Maine's way to vote in person before Election Day is in-person absentee voting at the municipal clerk's office; the Secretary of State describes this as a different process from early voting at designated voting places. Absentee ballots are available at the clerk's office 30 days before the election, and a voter who votes there does not need to complete an application. The Secretary of State's key-dates list runs the in-person, no-excuse absentee voting period from October 4, 2026 through the close of business in the voter's town on Thursday, October 29, 2026; after that Thursday, absentee voting in the presence of the clerk is allowed only if special circumstances exist. Addresses and phone numbers for every municipal clerk are in the Secretary of State's clerk directory. Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/absentee-guide
- Track your absentee ballotMaine voters can track an absentee ballot online through the Secretary of State's Online Absentee Ballot Request & Tracking Service. According to the state's absentee guide, the tracking system shows the date the absentee ballot application was accepted by the municipal clerk, the date the clerk issued (mailed out) the ballot and the date the clerk received the voted ballot. Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/absentee-guide
- Accessible voting and help with the ballotFor in-person voting on Election Day, the Secretary of State provides the Accessible Voting System (AVS) at every polling place in Maine, and a voter has the right to use it. The system is the ExpressVote, a ballot-marking device that allows individuals with disabilities to vote with privacy and independence. A voter who needs help reading or marking the ballot may ask a relative, a friend or an election official, but not the voter's employer or union official. Voters with print disabilities can request an electronic accessible absentee ballot by choosing the “Accessible Ballot” button on the online absentee ballot request page and filling out the online application. Read from: maine.gov/sos/elections-voting/accessible-voting
Read from: Elections & Voting | SOS · Upcoming Elections | SOS · Information About Voting | SOS · State of Maine Voter Guide | SOS · Registering to Vote | SOS · Your Right to Vote in Maine | SOS — Rules and dates as of Sep 17, 2026
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