Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is set to announce Friday whether she plans to run for governor of her state in 2018 after weeks of agonizing over a decision.
A spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner that Collins’ decision will come on Friday, but did not say where the announcement would take place. Collins, a centrist Republican, initially planned to announce a decision by the end of September but pushed back her decision to mid-October.
Collins has seen her importance grow under President Trump as a centrist voice, and she is seen as one of the few true centrist members remaining the Senate after voting against multiple iterations of repeal and replacement plans of the Affordable Care Act. She also voted against a clean repeal of the law in 2015.
“Given the contentious environment in Washington right now, my voice and vote matter a great deal,” Collins told Politico. “On the other hand, if I were fortunate enough to be elected governor, I could work more directly on job creation.”
“That’s why it’s such a difficult decision to make. And I’m trying to figure out where I matter most,” she said.
If Collins does run, it won’t be her first bid for the governor’s mansion in Augusta. She ran and lost in 1994 to Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, her current colleague in Washington, before winning her Senate seat in 1996.
Collins is the last remaining Republican member of the Senate to hail from New England after former Sen. Kelly Ayotte lost her re-election bid in New Hampshire last year.
If Collins were to launch a gubernatorial campaign and win next year, Republican Gov. Paul LePage would have the ability to name a Republican to fill out the remainder of her term in the Senate.
