While helping Maine, Susan Collins failed the nation | Opinion
John P. Dionne, a longtime resident of northern Maine, published a column in March 2026 in which he called for a “new generation of leadership” to replace the state’s senior U.S. senator, Susan Collins. The column, written for the Press Herald’s “Maine Matters” section, outlined Dionne’s disappointment in Collins’ record over the past decade.
A life rooted in rural Maine
Dionne grew up on a potato farm in the St. John River Valley, and spent most of his adult life in the state. He worked in construction before retiring as the facility manager of a residential vocational training program, a role he held for 20 years. In the 1980s, the 23‑year‑old Dionne was a VISTA volunteer in Iowa, where he helped a community action agency winterize homes and install passive hot‑air solar panels for low‑income residents.
“VISTA exposed me to the dichotomies and similarities of different regions in the United States,” Dionne recalled. “That experience made me aware of the challenges that rural communities face.”
A voter’s shift
Dionne says he has been a reliable supporter of Senator Collins in the past. “I did vote for Sen. Susan Collins more than once, believing she would uphold these values and advocate for the people of Maine and the United States,” he wrote. He added that over the last ten years his respect for Collins’ service has eroded.
The former senator, a Republican who served as governor of Maine from 2003 to 2009, has been in the U.S. Senate since 2003. Her tenure has coincided with growing concerns about rural decline, climate change, and national security.
Criticisms of Collins’ record
Dionne accused Collins of failing to protect “the social and civic institutions legally established to benefit the advancement and well‑being of Americans.” He singled out what he described as a “scaling back of equal opportunity for women” as “abusive.”
In discussing climate policy, Dionne said, “Sen. Collins has failed to acknowledge the disastrous impact of world climate change and to begin implementing measures to not only mitigate the pain we will suffer but also address how societies can work together to change the momentum and prepare.” He noted the recent tragedy in Nepal, where more than 1,400 people were killed and 5,000 remain missing, as a stark illustration of the consequences of inaction.
The column also criticized the “culture of war” that Dionne says persists in the United States and around the world, noting that it is “still evident in the games our children and even their parents play, glamorized in theaters, marketed by the military‑industrial complex as good for the economy.” He argued that such a culture “feeds fear and retains the influence of those in power.”
Calls for change
Dionne concluded that the early years of Collins’ service had been more effective than the present. “Obviously, her influence and voice toward righteousness for the nation has been diminished to a whisper,” he wrote. He called for “immense corrective action over the next decade” and urged the electorate to consider “better leadership to replace her and many others from both parties.”
The column was published in the context of the 2026 election cycle, as Maine voters prepare to choose a new class of senators and representatives. While Dionne’s piece is opinionated, it reflects a broader conversation in Maine about representation, rural revitalization, and the direction of national policy.
