President Donald Trump's continued attacks on one blue-state Republican may end up endangering the GOP's majority in the U.S. Senate, according to some Republican officials.
Politico reported Friday that there is fear among Maine Republicans that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) could end up losing her seat due to the president's frequent criticism of the veteran GOP lawmaker. Trump's latest jab at Collins came on Thursday, after she and four other Senate Republicans voted with Democrats on a war powers resolution that would have curbed the administration's ability to wage war in Venezuela. Trump said on Truth Social that the five Republican senators "should never be elected to office again."
Former Maine Republican state legislator Mary Small, who Politico described as a "Collins ally," told the outlet that the president "has caused no end of problems for Sen. Collins." And she noted that Maine already has a shortage of Republicans, meaning that any GOP candidate hoping to win a statewide election will need support from both Democrats and independents.
"I think she’d be in the 70th percentile right now of approval rating if we didn’t have Donald Trump as president," Small said. "So she’s had to walk a very cautious line."
Collins has crafted a reputation as a reliable GOP vote in the Senate with a few notable exceptions: During Trump's first term, she voted with Democrats against a measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Maine Republican also voted against confirming Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, arguing that the Supreme Court vacancy should be filled by the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
However, Collins' pattern of occasionally bucking the administration could be marketed as a strength in the general election, according to former Sen. Mark Kirk. (R-Ill.) The former Illinois Republican said Collins may be able to siphon enough Democratic and independent votes to win a majority this fall by cementing her reputation as a foil to Trump.
"Susan Collins has reached that state of nirvana that all of us in the Senate want to reach, to be synonymous with her state," Kirk said. "People will say ‘Well, if Donald Trump’s against her, then I’m gonna vote for her.'"
Click here to read Politico's report in full.
