Susan Collins Is Always Keeping Score

Senator Susan Collins, a long-serving Republican incumbent from Maine, is facing renewed political scrutiny as a 2026 campaign challenge gathers steam. In Lewiston, Democrat Jordan Wood was the first to announce plans for a challenge to Collins and said he made it a priority to secure support from Lewiston’s mayor, Carl Sheline, a fellow Democrat. Wood met with Sheline in his office and later over drinks at a local Italian restaurant, but Sheline ultimately declined to back him. Sheline said his decision reflected factors such as Collins’s help financing a housing project, a food distribution center, and a mill museum—descriptions Wood framed as “possible retribution.” Critics and supporters alike characterize Collins as a powerful broker focused on constituent services and major political influence.