Maine cannot afford to lose Sen. Susan Collins in Washington | Opinion

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Timothy S. Hodgdon is president/CEO of Hodgdon Shipbuilding in East Boothbay.

As a business owner in Maine, I want to express my strong support for Sen. Susan Collins in the upcoming election. I am increasingly concerned that backlash from the current political landscape could turn what should otherwise be a strong race for Sen. Collins into a much more difficult contest in November.

Here are the facts.

Sen. Collins has served Maine for decades, and during that time she has consistently worked to bring federal resources and opportunities back to our state. Her seniority and experience in Washington, and particularly her position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, give Maine an important voice and critical influence when decisions are made regarding federal funding and priorities.

The Appropriations Committee plays a central role in determining discretionary federal spending, making this position particularly consequential for a state the size of Maine. That influence has produced significant, tangible results for Maine, which cannot be delivered by an inexperienced U.S. Senate replacement.

Sen. Collins’ work has supported BIW, UMaine, transportation/infrastructure projects and hundreds of other initiatives throughout all 16 Maine counties. According to Sen. Collins’ office, she has helped secure nearly $1.5 billion in Congressionally Directed Spending for 672 projects since 2021.

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I believe Maine voters need to look carefully at what Sen. Collins’ position in the Senate means for our state and what will be lost if she is no longer representing Maine in Washington.

The televised debates between Sen. Susan Collins and Troy Jackson raise a fundamental question: How many times must Sen. Collins correct the record before those corrections are given their due?

Throughout these debates, she has repeatedly addressed Jackson’s claims about her position on the Iran war, her voting record on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and her relationship with President Donald Trump (among other questionable statements).

Sen. Collins has explained that she voted nine times to end the Iran war, defended her decision to oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at final passage and challenged what she considers misleading characterizations of her relationship with the president.

Yet Jackson frequently returns to the same accusations, seemingly disregarding the explanations and responses she has already provided. Vigorous debate and legitimate criticism are essential to our political process. But voters deserve more than repeated allegations and selective interpretations of a candidate’s record. They deserve a fair opportunity to hear the answers, consider the context and judge the facts for themselves.

When a candidate responds directly to an accusation, that response should be part of the discussion — not simply brushed aside as the same accusation is repeated. The real issue is not whether Sen. Collins’ record should be scrutinized; it absolutely should be. It is whether that scrutiny is being conducted fairly, accurately and with due regard for the facts.

Maine voters deserve a debate that informs rather than misleads, and that evaluates candidates on their complete records rather than on accusations repeated often enough to create an impression. It is also significant that Sen. Collins is the only Republican in either the House of Representatives or the Senate from New England, which results in an unhealthy partisan position, regardless of your party affiliation.

Replacing her with a first-term senator would represent a substantial loss of seniority, institutional knowledge, leadership and demonstrated ability to secure federal resources, an outcome that we cannot afford.

To say it frankly, there is no opponent who can fill Sen. Collins’ shoes as our senator from Maine. Her record, experience and performance all speak for themselves. Maine needs Susan Collins to stay in the Senate.

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Tagged: columns, election 2026, senate 2026