Susan Collins

Susan Collins was born on December 7, 1952, in Caribou, Maine. She graduated from Caribou High School in 1971 and from St. Lawrence University in 1975, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.⁠[1]

After college Collins went to work for Maine Representative Bill Cohen. When Cohen was elected to the Senate three years later she stayed on his staff and was promoted to staff director of the Senate Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee.⁠[1]

In 1987 Maine Governor John McKernan appointed Collins Commissioner of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In 1992 President George H. W. Bush appointed her director of the Small Business Administration’s regional office. In 1994 she became the founding executive director of the Center for Family Business at Husson College, now Husson University.⁠[1]

In 1996 Collins was elected to the U.S. Senate from Maine, succeeding William Cohen, who did not seek another term; she took her seat in 1997 and was re-elected in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020.⁠[1][2]

She won more than 68 percent of the vote in 2014; her 2020 vote share was nearly 18 percentage points lower.⁠[2]

On March 30, 2020, Collins and a bipartisan task force with Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin and Jeanne Shaheen wrote to the SBA and the Treasury urging quick implementation of the Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act, signed into law as part of the CARES Act. The act created the Paycheck Protection Program, a new loan guarantee program under the SBA’s 7(a) program, and provided $377 billion in relief to small businesses.⁠[3]

On February 10, 2026, Collins formally announced her bid for a sixth Senate term in a video showing her unboxing a pair of sneakers, saying: “This is perfect for 2026, because I’m running.”⁠[4]

In Maine’s June 9, 2026, primary Collins was unopposed for the Republican Senate nomination. After the Democratic primary winner, Graham Platner, withdrew in July, Maine Democrats nominated former state Senate President Troy Jackson on July 25 to run against her.⁠[5][6]

In the November 3, 2026, election Troy Jackson led Collins by more than five percentage points with about two-thirds of precincts reporting. Early on November 4 Collins conceded in a statement: “I called Troy Jackson tonight to congratulate him and to assure him that my staff and I will work to ensure a smooth transition.” She added: “It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate.” The Associated Press called the race for Jackson at 1:02 a.m. on November 4, after she had conceded.⁠[2][7]

Collins chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and serves on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Intelligence Committee.⁠[1]

She has cast more than 10,000 consecutive votes; her Senate office describes this as “the longest perfect voting record in the history of the U.S. Senate.”⁠[1]

U.S. Senator Susan Collins: Official website: https://www.collins.senate.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

X: Public account: https://x.com/SenatorCollins (opens in a new window).⁠[1]