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Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘Yes would have been a disaster': Maine Senator Collins faced familiar balancing act on Trump's sweeping bill
Collins is well-accustomed to the high wire act of a Republican moderate in a blue state. Perhaps the best case politically may be that this vote allows her to continue to walk that line, with Trump-supporting Republicans unable to blame her for killing the bill and Democrats unable to blame her for cementing its passage. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I don't know if 'no' is helpful, but I think 'yes' would have been a disaster,' said Representative Chellie Pingree, the Democrat from Maine's 1st Congressional District, on the implications of Collins' vote in 2026. The legislation's deep cuts to Medicaid and the federal food stamp program will be 'very, very bad for Maine,' Pingree added. Advertisement Indeed, in explaining her no vote, Collins pointed to her concerns over Medicaid, saying the bill's proposals 'could threaten not only Mainers' access to health care, but also the very existence of several of our state's rural hospitals.' She ultimately secured language in the bill to establish a $50 billion relief fund for rural hospitals, but it did not change her final vote. Advertisement The GOP bill — which extends Trump's 2017 tax cuts and boosts spending on immigration enforcement while cutting funds for Medicaid and social services — is not popular nationally or in Maine, polls show. A June 25 survey from the University of New Hampshire found that 58 percent of Mainers opposed the package while 30 percent supported it. Among independents, long a key base for Collins, 72 percent were against the legislation. That may explain why Democrats wasted no time attempting to link Collins to the bill she voted against. In a statement, Maine Democratic Party spokesman Tommy Garcia noted that the senator on Sunday night voted in favor of allowing the legislation to proceed to debate, clearing a key procedural hurdle. 'Make no mistake: Susan Collins made the deliberate choice to advance this bill, and she'll be held accountable for it in 2026,' Garcia said. The package would have proceeded without Collins' support on Sunday, given Vance could have broken the tie had she voted to block it. But her willingness to advance it — not uncommon for her, even with bills she eventually opposes — underscored that despite moments of breaking with her party, she is not usually inclined to present herself as a major obstacle. 'She's a team player,' said Senator John Hoeven, a North Dakota Republican, referring to her vote to advance the legislation to debate. He said Republicans knew when it came to the final vote, Collins likely 'couldn't get there just because of her state.' Advertisement But Hoeven credited Collins, who 'helped us get on the bill at a time when we needed that help... people appreciate that and respect that about Susan.' Those kinds of maneuvers have long been a key ingredient of Collins' political success. In her 2020 campaign, she overcame deepening polarization and partisan backlash to several very significant votes and easily defeated her Democratic rival, Sara Gideon. Heading into the 2020 campaign, Collins voted against Trump's 2017 attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with the late Senator John McCain providing the ultimate vote to scuttle the president's first big goal. But she also supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Those votes, along with her support of confirming Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, provided plenty of fodder for both Republicans and Democrats to oppose her in that campaign. Collins has not yet announced her reelection plans. The Democratic field of hopefuls for the seat has yet to fully materialize, with Jordan Wood, a former top aide to California Representative Katie Porter, the only candidate so far raising money and campaigning. But the political environment for Collins could be different than it was six years ago. The UNH poll from June had Collins earning only a 14 percent approval rating. Less than one-third of self-identified Republicans approved of her performance. 'The problem she's got this time around is that any support she's had among Republicans has disappeared,' said Andrew Smith of UNH, who conducted the poll. The overarching strategy for Collins with this legislative fight, Smith added, may be to 'get this out of the way.' By going against Republicans and Trump, he added, she may also be particularly keen to head off any rumblings of a primary challenge, which has so far failed to seriously materialize. Advertisement While Trump has threatened to destroy the political careers of Republicans who oppose his signature legislation, he has been noticeably quiet on Collins. In a social media post after the Senate vote Tuesday, the president wrote, 'Almost all of our Great Republicans in the United States Senate have passed our 'ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL.'' He did not mention Collins. It was a stark difference from Trump's repeated diatribes against GOP holdouts like Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who is already facing Trump-funded primary attacks, or Tillis, who after vocally opposing the bill, announced he would retire rather than face reelection. Both Massie and Tillis loudly railed against Trump's signature legislation, though, while Collins largely expressed cautious doubts in public while attempting to change it in private. Speaking to Democrats, along with Collins and Tillis, came to believe that the bill's Medicaid cuts and changes would force an unacceptable number of rural hospitals out of business. Still, Maine Democrats attacked Collins for not doing enough to block or change the GOP bill, arguing that she should have leveraged her 'power and seniority she likes to campaign on' to dull the worst impacts, said Garcia, of the Maine Democratic Party. In a lengthy statement explaining her vote, Collins emphasized her support of aspects of the legislation, like extending the 2017 tax cuts, as well as tightening work requirements for 'able-bodied adults who are not raising young children, who are not caregivers, or attending school.' Advertisement The senator did not take questions before leaving the Capitol following Tuesday's marathon session, saying she had to catch a plane. On her way out of the chamber, Collins was stopped by Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who shepherded the bill through his Budget Committee. He extended his arm to shake her hand. The scene may have encapsulated the broader dynamic for Collins. 'She's not going to antagonize anyone even more with this vote,' said UNH's Smith. 'She may disappoint some people; for most, it would be a shrug.' Sam Brodey can be reached at
The Hill
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Maine Dems launch website targeting Collins over abortion ahead of Dobbs anniversary
The Maine Democratic Party has launched a website targeting Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) for votes she they say have caused a significant rollback in abortion rights. The release of the website, shared exclusively with The Hill, comes ahead of the third anniversary of the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned its longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade. The ruling allowed states to make their own decisions on abortion access and has led to more than a dozen states moving to restrict access to the procedure. A video released along with the website blames Collins for her votes to confirm Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who were part of the five-justice majority that overturned Roe. The video starts and ends with a recording of Collins announcing on the Senate floor that she would vote to confirm Kavanaugh. 'The overturning of Roe vs Wade falls squarely on Susan Collins' shoulders. Mainers recognize and remember how Collins' 'no regrets' decisive vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court — despite clear warnings of the threat he posed to Roe — led to bans on reproductive freedom nationwide, and it will cost her in 2026 when voters reject her,' said state Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Garcia. Collins's vote on Kavanaugh in particular received significant attention as his nomination was ultimately approved in a 50-48 vote. In her message announcing her decision to vote for Kavanaugh, she expressed her belief that he wouldn't be likely to vote in favor of overturning Roe. After the court overturned Roe, Collins said the decision was 'inconsistent' with what Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said during their testimonies and in their meetings wither her. The website also notes Collins's vote against advancing the Women's Health Protection Act, which would have codified Roe into law, in 2022. The Maine Republican argued at the time that the legislation would have violated the rights of individuals and organizations who have religious objections to performing abortions and exceeded what Roe protected, striking down laws prohibiting sex-based abortions and requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortions. Collins instead pointed to the legislation she introduced, called the Reproductive Choice Act, which would restore the rights of Roe. The website also attacks Collins over votes she's taken in favor of federal judges who ultimately upheld abortion restrictions in certain states, including Stuart Kyle Duncan in Texas and Kenneth Lee from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Collins will be a top target for Democrats seeking to make gains in the Senate in 2026 after losing a few seats last year, falling to a 53-47 minority. The longtime senator, representing a state that voted for former Vice President Harris in 2024, has long been a target and was viewed as particularly vulnerable in 2020 but has repeatedly held on. She won her last election by more than 8 points. Still, this would be the first time Collins is seeking reelection following the court's overturning of Roe, giving Democrats hope that abortion rights can be a rallying point as it was in the 2022 midterms. A high-profile Democrat has yet to enter the race, but some in the state believe Gov. Janet Mills (D) may be the strongest choice if she decides to run.
Boston Globe
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Maine Democrats want to beat Susan Collins. Step one? Finding a challenger.
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT In 2020, Susan Collins looked like an endangered species. Collins, Maine's senior senator, was the last Republican member of Congress from New England. Donald Trump was in the White House. Collins, a moderate, had broken with him on major legislation. She faced a well-funded Democratic challenger. And polls suggested that after decades in office, Yet Collins ended up winning by nearly 9 points — even as Trump lost Maine to Joe Biden by a similar margin. Advertisement Many of the same dynamics still pertain ahead of Collins's expected run for a sixth term next year. Her staying power seems to have made prominent Maine Democrats wary of challenging her and Maine Republicans content with a senator who sometimes defies Trump. Today's newsletter explains Collins's strengths and potential weaknesses. The politics of fear Collins, first elected in 1996, has survived all kinds of political environments. She's won in good years for Democrats, like 2008, and in good years for Republicans, like 2014. She's won after outspending her opponent (2002) and after her opponent outspent her (2020). She's won under presidents of both parties (Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump), in midterm and presidential elections alike. That's an intimidating record. It may help explain why, even as several high-profile Maine Democrats angle to run for governor next year, no major challenger has yet announced against Collins. ( Advertisement Senator and governor are different jobs, and seeking an open seat — Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, is term-limited — is easier. But at least one Maine Democrat who wanted to be a senator in the past — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who lost to Collins by 37 points in 2014 — is running for governor instead. Charlie Dingman, chair of the Maine Democratic Party, argues that it's still early and that challengers will emerge. 'I'm aware of and have been talking with a number of folks in the Democratic Party in Maine who are very interested in the opportunity and are exploring it,' he said, declining to name names. 'I expect we'll have a very strong field.' The most eagerly anticipated entrant may be Mills, 77, who easily won re-election in 2022 and gained national attention when she clashed with Trump earlier this year over transgender athletes. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, has reportedly Chellie Pingree, a US representative who lost to Collins in 2002, Advertisement Strengths Even if Democrats do field a strong challenger, Collins has at least three advantages going for her this year. One is experience. Nearly 30 years in office have bred a deep connection to voters in a small state where personal touch can transcend partisanship. 'It's the most successful political machine the state of Maine has ever seen,' said Lance Dutson, a strategist who worked on Collins's past three campaigns. Another, ironically, is Maine's blue lean. In 2020, despite having voted to block Trump's repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Collins faced only token primary opposition — an acknowledgment that she may be the best Maine Republicans can get. 'Collins is somebody that votes with Republicans more than she doesn't vote with Republicans, supports the Trump administration more than she doesn't support the Trump administration,' said Nicholas Jacobs, a political scientist at Colby College in Waterville. As other GOP senators face serious threats from more Trump-aligned challengers, no similar movement has yet emerged against Collins. Collins's third advantage may be plausible deniability. She chairs the Senate appropriations committee, giving her a powerful perch to break from Trump and other Republicans over tax policy and government funding if she chooses. 'It's a chance to prove her independence,' Jacobs said. Vulnerabilities Still, Collins may yet end up with a real race on her hands. Past polls have underestimated her, but Advertisement Next year's electorate may also complicate her path. Split-ticket voters who backed a Democrat for president and Collins for Senate helped her win in 2008 and 2020. But voters who increasingly support Democrats — whiter, older, and more educated — have been more likely to turn out in recent midterms. That means Collins may face a substantially bluer electorate than in prior cycles. Her record also offers Democrats plenty to criticize. Collins voted to confirm four of the six Supreme Court justices who struck down Roe v. Wade and controversial Trump nominees like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025. For now, Maine Democrats' best recruiting pitch may be that past isn't necessarily prologue. 'We are seeing such an extraordinary eagerness on the part of the president to dismantle our government wholesale and to do so in a lawless fashion,' Dingman, the state party chair, said. 'I just don't believe that the results of an election in a past cycle are going to discourage people from taking on that challenge.' 🧩 4 Across: | 🌤️ 59° POINTS OF INTEREST Mar, left, and Lee Beard are among the graffiti artists who will be part of a residency at the Lynch Family Skatepark this summer. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Boston and Massachusetts Karen Read trial: A police investigator faced sharp questioning about his colleague's offensive texts about Read. Clashing rights: A Roxbury judge said she'd have to remove her niqab, a religious headscarf, to testify in a case that Artists in residence: A Cambridge skatepark Tragedy: A Bentley University senior died after Trump administration Three-country tour: Trump defended his administration's plan Israel-Hamas war: After speaking with Trump, Israel's prime minister will send negotiators to ceasefire talks with Hamas. As promised, Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage. ( Drug costs: Trump signed an executive order meant to lower pharmaceutical prices. But big questions, like whether the order is legal and how it would work, remain unanswered. ( Justice delayed: Black students who say classmates called them racial slurs and others who lodged civil rights complaints with the Education Department fear Trump's cuts to the agency Come one, come some: The US welcomed 59 white South Africans as refugees. Trump, who has shut down refugee admissions from Afghanistan, Sudan, and other countries, claims the South Africans face racial discrimination. ( What's that spell? Republicans' tax bill contains a provision that would put $1,000 for newborn babies into a 'money account for growth and advancement,' or MAGA. ( The Nation and the World NBA on NBC: Michael Jordan is joining the network as a special contributor. ( Diddy trial: Witnesses began testifying in Sean Combs' federal sex-trafficking trial in New York City. ( BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin 🤧 Pollen power: It's not bad enough that allergy season is starting about 20 days earlier than it used to. It's also lasting longer and is more intense. Advertisement 🦭 Seal the deal: The state is trying once again to redesign the Massachusetts state seal. I vote for a Norman Rockwell-style painting of a Boston terrier sitting on Plymouth Rock eating a Tollhouse cookie while a chickadee perches on its head. ( 📺 Summer TV: 'The Better Sister,' 'The Waterfront,' 'Long Story Short,' and 🍃 From beer to bud: Lots of Americans are drinking less alcohol. 'Oh, really?' said THC beverage makers. ( 💦 You(th) decide: Mayor Michelle Wu wants Boston youths to pick which one of seven projects will get $1 million from the city. Community theater? Water bubblahs everywhere? Better crosswalks? ( 📫 Miss Conduct: How to get your summer cottage guests to 💿 Kendrick kicked it: Kendrick Lamar and SZA performed at a sold-out Gillette stadium last night. 🎞️ Frenzy in France: The Cannes Film Festival begins today, with movie premieres and directorial debuts and suspense over who and what will take home awards. ( 🍞 Worldly fare: In honor of 🗺️ Gone but not forgotten: The Leventhal Map Center at the BPL is dipping into its vault Friday for a two-hour display of maps of cities, countries, and empires that no longer exist. Spooky. ( Advertisement Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grand jury finds probable cause to charge sitting legislator with domestic violence
Domestic violence survivors and advocates protested in Sanford on Jan. 9, 2025, one day after the Maine House of Representatives approved an ethics probe into the domestic violence allegations against Rep. Lucas Lanigan. (Photo by Eesha Pendharkar/Maine Morning Star) Sanford Republican Rep. Lucas Lanigan was indicted on Wednesday after a grand jury found probable cause to charge the sitting legislator on two counts for domestic violence offenses. Lanigan, who was arraigned in York County Superior Court, pleaded not guilty to both charges, which include a Class B felony for aggravated domestic violence and a Class D misdemeanor for domestic violence charges. An indictment is not a guilty verdict or sentencing, rather it means the grand jury found probable cause to convict Lanigan on the charges the police recommended. Lanigan was arrested one week before the November election for domestic violence aggravated assault. According to a police report, a Sanford police officer alleged that Lanigan strangled his wife after she confronted him and another woman his wife believed he was having an affair with. Lanigan then won reelection by one vote after a recount. During Lanigan's first court appearance in October, his wife called the incident a 'misunderstanding' and said the case should be dropped. However, Assistant District Attorney Linda Holdsworth-Donovan said victims regularly recant or downplay their stories after the fact and that the state would still pursue charges. Lanigan, who represents the towns of Newfield, Shapleigh, and parts of Sanford and Springvale, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. He told the Portland Press Herald that he promised his caucus he would 'immediately resign and step down' if he is convicted, 'because someone that's convicted of that should not be serving in the House of Representatives.' The Maine Democratic Party called for Lanigan's resignation following the indictment, reiterating earlier calls from the party and Democratic legislators. 'There is no place for domestic violence in our society,' Maine Democratic Party Vice Chair Imke Schessler-Jandreau said in a statement, 'and I call on Republican leaders to join the widespread calls for Mr. Lanigan's immediate resignation.' Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Brunswick) and Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford) did not respond to requests for comment on the sitting legislator's indictment by the time of publication. Fecteau stripped Lanigan of his assignment to the Labor Committee in December. In January, Maine House members voted 74-69 to direct the House Ethics Committee to investigate the allegations against Lanigan to determine if he had violated the code of ethics. A report is due a month after the committee convenes. One day after that vote, Finding Our Voices, a domestic violence survivor network, held a protest against Lanigan's reelection. 'Thank you to the York County DA for continuing to pursue criminal charges against Lucas Lanigan,' Patrisha McLean, CEO and founder of Finding Our Voices, wrote in a statement to Maine Morning Star following the indictment. 'And thank you to every individual working to end Lanigan's law making abilities: Maine needs stronger laws against domestic violence stranglers and not lawmakers who stand indicted for domestic violence strangling.'
Fox News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem governor fundraises off dust-up with Trump over trans sports in Maine: 'I told him we'd see him in court'
Gov. Janet Mills of Maine is attempting to capitalize on her moment in the national spotlight after she got into a public dust-up with President Donald Trump last week over her state's defiance of his executive order demanding biological males who identify as transgender stay out of women's sports. The pair got into a verbal skirmish on Friday at the White House after Trump said the night prior that Maine would not receive any federal funding until it started taking action to prevent transgender women from competing on women's sports teams. "We're going to follow the law, sir. We'll see you in court," Mills said after Trump asked if she would comply with his order. "Enjoy your life after governor, because I don't think you'll be an elected official afterward," Trump shot back. A Maine state representative confirmed to Fox News Digital that following the verbal skirmish on Friday, Mills began sending out mass fundraising texts to Maine residents that cited her altercation with Trump, which played out on national TV. "On Friday at a bipartisan meeting of governors, Donald Trump threatened to deny Maine school children federal funding unless we fall in line with his personal demands," Mills' text campaign said. "He even stated that he was 'the law,' never mind Congress or the states. I told him we'd see him in court." Mills went on to say that while Trump campaigned on lowering prices for everyday Americans, he is now using his new power to "punish his enemies." "I want to make one thing clear: Maine will not be intimidated by the president's threats," the campaign said. "The work to push back against Trump and his agenda begins at the state level. Can you donate $10 to the Maine Democratic Party to make sure they have the resources to fight for our state?" The same week Trump threatened to withhold funding from Maine for not complying with his executive order on women's sports, a transgender woman who competed as a man until June last year won first place in the women's pole vault at Maine's Class B state indoor championship. Maine's primary governing body for high school athletics, the Maine Principal's Association, confirmed that it did not intend to follow Trump's executive order after it came out. Rather, the association said they would defer to state law that makes it illegal to determine someone's athletic eligibility on the basis of their gender identity. Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney who has extensive experience litigating Title IX issues, said that in addition to Trump's executive order, Maine is also flouting directives from the Department of Education and previously established precedent from a slew of cases that challenged former President Joe Biden's Title IX regulations allowing athletic eligibility to be determined by one's preferred gender identity. "Within six weeks [after Biden's Title IX ruling] we had 11 federal lawsuits brought by 26 states, in addition to a handful of others – the Biden administration has lost every time," Perry pointed out. Perry added that besides the obvious risk of losing funding, these states also open themselves up to federal Title IX investigations, something she said could potentially force them to comply with Trump's demands. Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to the governor's office for comment but did not hear back.
