Susan Collins takes steps toward 2026 run as big-name Democrats weigh potential challenge

Democrats have one big hope as they scramble to find a top-tier recruit against GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine: Maybe she won’t run at all.

Democrats have one big hope as they scramble to find a top-tier recruit against GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine: Maybe she won’t run at all. Collins, the lone New England Senate Republican, who is at the peak of her influence over 28 years in the chamber, has fended off one Democratic foe after another in hard-fought races to hang on to her seat. And again, her seat is pivotal in the Democrats’ uphill climb back to the majority. But Collins, 72, has yet to make a formal announcement that she’ll run in what will almost certainly be a bruising battle for a sixth term. And high-profile potential Democratic candidates, like Gov. Janet Mills and Rep. Jared Golden, are weighing their next moves as they await the veteran senator’s final decision. In an interview with CNN, Collins signaled she does plan to run but wasn’t ready to say so officially. “It’s certainly my inclination to run and I’m preparing to do so,” Collins told CNN late last week. “I very much enjoy serving the people of Maine. I’ve obviously not made a formal announcement because it’s too early for that.” National Republicans believe that Collins — a moderate who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and sits in the bluest GOP-held seat in the nation — will indeed be on the ballot next November. But if Collins decides against another run, it would transform the race and give Democrats their best chance at flipping a seat in the midterms.