Senate · ME

Susan Margaret Collins

R · MEAge 73· Moderate Republican / centrist swing vote

Susan Collins has represented Maine in the U.S. Senate since January 1997, serving five consecutive terms. She is the longest-serving female Republican senator in U.S. history. She chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee in the 119th Congress. The Lugar Center Bipartisan Index has ranked her among the top three most-bipartisan senators in every Congress since 2013. Her record includes consequential cross-party votes: NO on the 2017 'skinny repeal' of the ACA (one of three Republican defectors); YES on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; YES on Justices Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, Kagan, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Jackson; co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act (2022); voted GUILTY in Trump's second impeachment (2021, one of seven Republicans).

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The Featured Four

Promises that define the record.

Four promises chosen to span how voters across the political spectrum view this politician's record.

KeptHealthcarePROMISE #1

Protect coverage for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.

Verdict reasoning

Collins voted NO on the 'skinny repeal' (H.R. 1628, July 28, 2017). She co-sponsored the Pre-Existing Conditions Protection Act (S.1462, 116th Congress). She publicly opposed the Trump administration's Texas v. Azar lawsuit position.

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On July 28, 2017, at approximately 1:30 AM, the Senate voted on the 'skinny repeal' of the ACA. The bill required 50 votes; the count was 49-51 after three Republican senators voted NO: John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins. Stakes that ACA-protection advocates foreground: Approximately 133 million Americans under age 65 have a pre-existing medical condition. Approximately 600,000 Mainers are estimated to have a pre-existing condition. Successful skinny repeal would have allowed insurers to vary premiums by health status. Stakes that ACA-skeptic advocates foreground: The ACA's individual market saw premium increases of approximately 105% from 2013 to 2017. The 'skinny repeal' would not have eliminated pre-existing protections directly — it removed the individual mandate, employer mandate, and a medical-device tax; critics argued protection stability depended on the mandate. Procedural-record context: The skinny repeal attempt of July 2017 was made possible by reconciliation instructions Collins voted to enable. On October 19, 2017, Collins voted YES on H.Con.Res.71 (FY2018 budget resolution), which included reconciliation instructions used for both the TCJA mandate-zero AND the skinny-repeal vehicle. The procedural YES enabled the substantive NO. Honest qualifier: Collins voted YES on the TCJA (December 2017), which zeroed the individual mandate penalty effective 2019. CBO's 2017 estimate projected approximately 13 million fewer insured Americans over 10 years and approximately 10% premium increases. The verdict KEPT reflects vote-record alignment with the stated promise on the specific pre-existing-conditions issue.

BrokenJudiciaryPROMISE #2

Confirm well-qualified judges who respect precedent — specifically, Kavanaugh will respect Roe v. Wade.

Verdict reasoning

On October 5, 2018, Collins delivered a 43-minute Senate floor speech announcing her support for Kavanaugh's confirmation, stating: 'I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. He has clearly stated that Roe is settled law.' This was a public commitment used to secure her decisive YES vote on a 50-48 confirmation. On June 24, 2022, Kavanaugh joined the 5-4 majority in Dobbs v. Jackson, overturning Roe. Collins's same-day statement: 'This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and in our meetings in my office.' The explicit assurance did not hold.

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On September 27, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school. Kavanaugh denied the allegation under oath. The committee voted 11-10 to advance the nomination conditional on a supplemental FBI investigation. The investigation ran October 1-5, 2018, with scope reportedly limited at the request of the White House — the investigation did not interview Ford or Kavanaugh directly and reportedly did not pursue tip-line leads. Collins publicly characterized the investigation as 'thorough.' On October 5, 2018, Collins delivered a 43-minute floor speech announcing her support for confirmation. Her central argument: Kavanaugh's record and testimony indicated he would respect precedent including Roe v. Wade. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The 5-4 majority opinion explicitly overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Kavanaugh joined the majority. Stakes that abortion-rights advocates foreground: Approximately 36 million American women of reproductive age now live in states with abortion restrictions enacted post-Dobbs. 14 states have near-total abortion bans. Approximately 171,000 women traveled out of state for abortions in the year following Dobbs. Stakes that pro-life advocates foreground: Approximately 50,000-100,000 fewer abortions per year post-Dobbs. For 49 years pro-life advocates argued that Roe was decided wrongly on constitutional grounds. The verdict BROKEN reflects that the explicit assurance Collins gave voters did not hold. Collins's own same-day statement acknowledges the prediction was contradicted.

KeptProcessPROMISE #3

Reach across the aisle / bipartisan negotiation.

Verdict reasoning

Collins co-led the 'Gang of 21' negotiation on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (2021), co-sponsored the Respect for Marriage Act, voted YES on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (1 of 15 Republicans), and YES on CHIPS Act (1 of 17 Republicans). Lugar Center Bipartisan Index has ranked her among the top three in every Congress since 2013.

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Bipartisanship is Collins's most-cited career-defining attribute and the easiest verdict on her record. Concrete examples from her current term: Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (June 2021) — Collins was one of 10 senators who negotiated the framework that became the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Respect for Marriage Act (November 2022) — Collins co-sponsored with Sen. Baldwin (D-WI). CHIPS and Science Act (July 2022) — Voted YES with 16 other Republicans. Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (June 2022) — Voted YES with 14 other Republicans. Stakes that bipartisan-process advocates foreground: Each of these bills had documented bipartisan negotiation that would not have occurred without senators like Collins crossing party lines. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework's $550 billion in new spending directed approximately $40 billion to rural broadband, $89 billion to public transit, $66 billion to passenger rail. Stakes that party-discipline advocates foreground: Collins's bipartisan votes have been criticized by both parties' bases. Her party-unity score with Republicans on procedural votes is high; her cross-party votes have been concentrated on final-passage of pre-negotiated compromises.

BrokenPresidential AccountabilityPROMISE #4

Trump has learned his lesson — predicate for first-impeachment acquittal vote.

Verdict reasoning

On February 5, 2020, Collins voted NOT GUILTY on both articles of impeachment regarding the Ukraine matter. In a February 4, 2020 CBS interview she stated: 'I believe that the president has learned from this case.' On January 6, 2021, the Trump administration's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results culminated in the Capitol breach. Collins voted GUILTY in the second impeachment (February 13, 2021), one of seven Republican YEAs — acknowledging through her vote that the first-impeachment prediction had failed.

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On February 5, 2020, the Senate acquitted President Trump on both articles of impeachment regarding the Ukraine matter. Collins voted NOT GUILTY on both articles, with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) the lone Republican to vote GUILTY on Article I. The day before the vote, Collins gave an interview to CBS News: 'I believe that the president has learned from this case.' The statement framed her acquittal vote as resting partly on a prediction about subsequent presidential behavior. Subsequent administration behaviors that critics cited as contradicting the prediction included: removal of inspectors general at multiple federal agencies during 2020; firing of impeachment witnesses including LTC Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland; continued public attacks on the impeachment process; and the January 6, 2021 attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, which resulted in 5 deaths and 140 officer injuries. Collins voted to convict in the second impeachment trial on February 13, 2021. The verdict BROKEN reflects predictive failure parallel to the Kavanaugh case. The verdict does not impugn Collins's good faith; her second-impeachment vote demonstrated she updated her judgment when subsequent evidence warranted.

Full Inventory

All tracked promises

BrokenFiscal Policy

Hold the line on federal spending and the national debt.

Collins voted YES on TCJA (CBO-projected $1.9T deficit), CARES Act ($2.2T), and multiple debt-ceiling increases. The aggregate outcome was not achieved.

KeptProcess

Oppose extreme partisanship / vote conscience.

Multiple high-profile party breaks: 2017 ACA repeal NO, 2021 Trump second impeachment GUILTY, 2022 Respect for Marriage Act co-sponsorship, 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act YES.

KeptMaine Industries

Support Maine's industries (lobstering, paper, agriculture).

Collins has consistently sponsored Maine-industry support measures and appropriations.

KeptEntitlements

Protect Social Security from cuts.

No direct Social Security benefit cuts voted for during her tenure.

KeptEntitlements

No cuts to Medicare benefits.

No direct Medicare benefit cuts voted for during her tenure.

#10

KeptVeterans' Affairs

Veterans' healthcare access.

Collins voted YES on VA MISSION Act (2018) and PACT Act (2022).

#11

KeptJudiciary

Bipartisan judicial confirmations.

Collins voted to confirm every Supreme Court nominee she faced from both parties.

#12

PartialProcess

Stand up to own party when necessary.

Mixed pattern. Kept side: ACA repeal NO, second impeachment GUILTY, Respect for Marriage co-sponsorship, BSCA YES, CHIPS YES. Broken side: voted NO on Freedom to Vote Act, John Lewis VRA, and January 2022 filibuster carve-out for voting rights — three party-line NOs on consequential voting-rights measures.

#13

PartialForeign Policy

Pressure NATO allies on 2% defense spending.

NATO allies meeting 2% spending rose from 3 in 2014 to over 20 by 2024; multiple factors contributed including Russia's actions.

#14

KeptMaine Industries

Support Maine military bases (Bath Iron Works, Brunswick).

Collins as senior Appropriations member secured continued shipbuilding funding for Bath Iron Works.

#15

PartialConstitutional

Oppose unconstitutional executive overreach.

Collins opposed some Obama and Trump executive actions; her selectivity has been mixed and is contested.

#16

You DecideJudiciaryInferred

Confirm pro-life judges (selective by cycle).

Collins's stated standard was 'well-qualified, respect precedent' not 'pro-life.' Her votes resulted in conservative-majority court.

#17

PartialRegulation

Reduce regulations on small businesses.

Collins voted YES on multiple CRA resolutions; aggregate regulatory state grew.

#18

KeptReligious Liberty

Defend religious liberty.

Collins supported religious-liberty measures and judicial nominees who delivered religious-liberty rulings (303 Creative, Kennedy v. Bremerton).

#19

KeptForeign Policy

Support Israel.

Collins has consistently voted for Israel aid packages and pro-Israel measures.

#20

BrokenGovernment Reform

Term-limit pledge (early career).

Collins's early-career term-limit position has not been observed in practice — she is serving her fifth Senate term.

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