She’s the only Republican Senator left in a blue state, was the only blue state Republican Senator to defy the massive Democratic wave in 2008 (when she won by more than Obama against a credible opponent), outperformed her polls substantially in 2008/2014/2020, wasn’t ahead in a single public poll since July, was outspent by more than 2-to-1, and survived an 8-point Biden win in an election with historically little split-ticket voting to win by high single digits. She definitely deserves an A.
I greatly underestimated Susan Collins. Clearly, she
knows her state and was able to retain enough of her crossover appeal to win another term. I also feel Collins was helped by her state's long-term Republican trends. Trump won ME-02, like he did in 2016, and Jared Golden only held on by a narrow margin. Biden also did not carry the state by as wide a margin as many had anticipated. I don't think Collins will have any difficulty winning again in 2026, if she decides to go for a sixth term.
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