RACE RATING UPDATE: Cook Political Report Shifted Maine’s Senate Race to “Toss-Up” 

New rating follows trend of waning approval numbers and consistent negative coverage for Senator Collins

The non-partisan Cook Political Report shifted its race rating for Senator Susan Collins’ reelection chances from “Lean R” to “Toss-Up,” a significant update from one of the nation’s top election forecasters. This update follows the trend of polling in Maine showing Senator Collins’ approval ratings at an “all-time low” while disapproval ratings spike, leading to Collins being rated as the second-most unpopular Senator in the entire country.

This update comes as Senator Collins faces recent scrutiny for raising 97 percent of her campaign cash from out-of-state special interests and corporate PACs, and refusing to hold a public, in-person town hall for constituents over August recess while attending a private fundraiser hosted by “Trump’s judge whisperer.” In Washington, Collins has become an increasingly reliable vote for special interests and went along with Republicans to pass a tax law that was a “lopsided giveaway to corporations” while threatening health care and protections for pre-existing conditions. 

See below for more information about the updated race ranking: 

Cook Political Report: Maine Senate: Bottom Line

Jennifer E. Duffy

8/16/2019

  • “Democrats argue that this cycle will be different. They say that Collins’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court has left her very vulnerable and has decimated her image as a moderate consensus builder.”
  • “Collins has long gotten support from many Democrats, especially women. Will they abandon her en masse this time around?  If there are some Democratic voters who might be able to put the Kavanaugh vote aside, it’s clear that interest groups and super PACs cannot.”
  • “This could well end up being one of the closest Senate contests of the cycle and is in the Toss Up column.  In the unlikely event that Collins doesn’t run, Republicans’ chances of holding the seat decrease enormously.”
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