Collins highlights federal funding in closing pitch to voters
Paul Ferland, police chief of Winthrop and Monmouth, left, listens as Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks to the media after a visit Thursday to the Winthrop Police Department. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
Read all of our coverage of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the Maine Political Report in your inbox or text messages from politics editor Kirby Wilson.
As a bitter campaign nears its end, Sen. Susan Collins is making her role in Washington, D.C., central to her closing message.
Collins visited the Winthrop Police Department on Thursday afternoon to highlight new communications equipment — namely a massive radio tower — funded in large part with $1.1 million she secured through her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
At a news conference outside the police station, Collins reiterated what has been a core argument for her campaign: Her seniority in Congress gives her the ability to bring gobs of federal money to Maine.
Related
What Susan Collins’ appropriations power means for Maine, and what happens if she loses
“I’m the first Maine senator in nearly a century to chair the Appropriations Committee, and I’ve been able to bring $1.5 billion to Maine to support projects just like this one,” Collins told reporters.
Maine’s senior senator has touted several similar projects in the closing weeks of her campaign. On Monday, she made a trip to a mobile home park in Camden that received a $1.3 million federal earmark and on Wednesday, she traveled to Bath Iron Works, where she discussed the Pentagon’s support for the construction of a new destroyer.
Asked whether her seniority would matter if Democrats regain the Senate, Collins noted she would likely remain the committee’s vice chair. Her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, would be hard-pressed for such a committee assignment if he is to win on Tuesday, she has said.
Advertisement
“I’m going to be the fifth-highest ranking senator if I’m elected. Troy would be number 100, or if he’s lucky, 99,” Collins said on WVOM Wednesday. “The difference that you can make for the people of Maine, because of your seniority, is enormous.”
The race between Collins and Jackson has in recent weeks devolved into attack ads and personal insults, fueled in large part by outside groups backing Collins.
But as Election Day nears and last-minute polling shows a tight race within the margins of error, each candidate has sought to put a more positive spin on their campaigns. While Collins has highlighted her seniority and local issues, Jackson has emphasized the importance of Maine’s election in determining the direction of the entire country.
[
Related
Troy Jackson’s closing campaign message is here
On Thursday, Jackson campaigned in Westbrook with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree and the American Federation of Teachers, a national union that stopped in Maine as part of its get-out-the-vote tour.
Outside of the event at American Roots, union representatives held Troy Jackson signs while standing next to an inflatable fat cat with a diamond pinky ring in a suit and tie that was squeezing a worker in a hard hat.
“End the Republican squeeze on the American people,” a nearby sign read.
Advertisement
During a news conference, Jackson downplayed Collins’ leadership of the Appropriations Committee, saying that Alaska receives more federal earmarks (per capita) than Maine. Collins, at her news conference the same day, noted that Maine ranks No. 2 in terms of per capita earmarks.
Jackson also said Collins’ role will be diminished if the Democrats regain control of the Senate.
“Any amount of money that Sen. Collins brings to the state of Maine is a pittance compared to what we’re losing,” he said. “But in the end, she’s gonna be in the minority. Democrats are going to take this back over with or without me.”
When asked what he would do for the nation’s schools if elected, Jackson appeared to confuse the leadership of the U.S. Department of Education.
“Well, we’re not going to let DeVos get rid of the Department of Education,” Jackson said. “We’re gonna put money into education so that teachers can be paid more.”
The DOE is led by Secretary Linda McMahon, but Jackson was referring to Betsy Devos, who led the department during President Donald Trump’s first term from 2017-21.
His campaign said Jackson misspoke and that “he is fully aware that the current secretary of education is wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who wants to destroy the Department of Education.”
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: election 2026, Sen. Susan Collins, senate 2026, Susan Collins, winthrop police
Dylan Tusinski is an investigative reporter with the Maine Trust for Local News' quick strike team, where his stories largely focus on money, drugs and government accountability. He has written about international. More by Dylan Tusinski
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined. More by Randy Billings
