Senator Collins’ plan to hide out during GOP convention backfires as her absence draws attention to her refusal to say whether she’s voting for Trump
Yesterday, the Republican Party formally nominated Donald Trump for President. Noticeably absent from the proceedings was Maine’s most prominent Republican, Senator Susan Collins. Luckily, Maine GOP Chair Demi Kouzounas is in attendance to confirm for Mainers that Collins and Trump “both support each other.”
While Collins’ campaign leadership is attending the convention and offering their “full throated support” for the President, Collins herself is skipping the event and continuing her 618 day streak of dodging questions about her support for Trump.
Collins’ absence is having the opposite of the intended effect as it “draws attention to her refusal to say whether she supports the president or plans to vote for him." As the GOP rallies around Trump and even forgoes having a platform beyond support for the President, Collins’ lack of response to whether she’s voting for the leader of her own party will only invite more scrutiny of her record of support for his agenda.
There’s no doubt that Trump is all-in on Senator Collins — he’s said that he’s "100%" behind her reelection. After Collins voted to confirm every single one of his judicial nominees in 2017 and 2018, cast a critical vote for the GOP tax bill, and acquitted the President in the impeachment trial, Trump knows he needs Collins in the Senate to get his agenda across the finish line.
“Senator Collins may be able to skip her party’s convention, but she can’t escape her record of having voted with Trump 94% of the time,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “With even the head of her party confirming that she supports Trump, Maine voters can see through this flimsy facade, and they’re ready to replace both Collins and Trump this November.”
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