ICYMI: Facing Tough Re-Election Fight, Collins is Slammed After Praise from Trump

"There are signs that her moderate schtick isn't selling anymore"

Augusta, Maine - Susan Collins is facing growing backlash after standing beside Donald Trump yesterday, holding a MAGA hatas he praised her, saying, "Susan Collins [...] you're doing good."

At the same time, national Republicans are warning about what Mainers already see - Collins faces a difficult path, with Maine shaping up to be the GOP's toughest battleground in 2026.

REMINDER:

• Collins votes with Trump 96% of the time.
• Collins serves as a "regular deciding vote" on "important Republican policies" and nominations.
• Collins greenlit Medicaid cuts threatening cuts she greenlitthat are forcing 61,000Mainers to lose their health care coverage and number of rural Maine hospitals to shut down.

Here's what they are saying:

• Axios: Tim Scott warns GOP about national "headwinds," especially in Maine

• NRSC chair Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) delivered a sobering message to his GOP colleagues Tuesday at a closed-door, off-campus briefing on how Democrats' six-point lead on the generic ballot could translate into individual midterm Senate races.

• The slides showed the GOP's toughest challenge, based on the generic ballot, is in Maine, where Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is running for a sixth term.

• Republicans have long suspected that the national environment for their party could be challenging in November.

• But on Tuesday, they were formally put on notice - and forced to confront what a GOP drag could mean for their majority.

• Maine Beacon: Trump praises Collins as she holds MAGA hat at bill signing

• Any past divisions between Pres. Donald Trump and Maine's senior senator weren't in view on Tuesday as Sen. Susan Collins stood next to Trump at a bill signing, held a red hat emblazoned with the slogan "America is Back" and received his praise.

• "All right, you're doing good," Trump told Collins, as he lauded a series of lawmakers [...]

• "Trump has every reason to be happy with Susan Collins after she greenlit his Medicaid cuts and voted to let ACA tax credits expire, stripping affordable health care from 50,000 Mainers," said Maine Democratic Party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson. "Collins has never failed to be a reliable vote for Trump and his agenda when it counts, even when it hurts us Mainers."

• Chris Cillizza Substack: Susan Collins may well be toast

• The simple fact is that Collins is, without question, the most endangered incumbent in either party on the ballot in 2026. She is the only Republican running for reelection who represents a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024.

• She is facing the worst political environment - nationally - of her career. And there are signs that her moderate schtick isn't selling anymore.

• A new poll conducted by Morning Consult pegged Collins as the 2nd most unpopular Senator in the country - with 41% approving of her and 54% disapproving. Collins' numbers took a turn for the worse - in Morning Consult polling - right around when Donald Trump won a 2nd term.

• The only Senator to fare worse than Collins was Mitch McConnell (27% approval/63% disapproval). Which is actually instructive on a number of fronts.

• But starting in 2018 when she cast the deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, things started to change. Democrats began to turn against her in droves. She was still able to win re-election in 2020 but only with 51% - a far cry from the 67% and 61% she had won with in her previous two races.

• [...] Collins has already lost Democrats. And lots of independents. Meaning that if she doesn't have every single Republican in the state of Maine behind her, she's in deep, deep trouble.

• Most political handicapping services rate the Maine race as a" "toss up." I bet you couldn't find one person who works at those places who, with their own money, would bet on Collins to win.

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