The reelection victory of moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Democratic-leaning Maine is a testament to how quality of public service can overcome difficult political terrain. Collins’s opponent, Sara Gideon, called her to concede Wednesday afternoon.
Collins, who has never missed a vote, not once, in 24 years of Senate incumbency, is famously diligent both in constituent service and in deciding what position to take on every vote. Her colleagues know her as unfailingly cordial, persistently concerned about granular details of bills, and entirely trustworthy. Her voting record, usually right in the middle of the ideological spectrum, follows an internal logic and consistency that is discernible and admirable.
Maine had long been a state that itself was evenly divided ideologically (or, rather, quite evenly spread out along the political spectrum, rather than having a hard right-left divide). In recent years, though, it has leaned discernibly, even if not harshly, leftward. In sum, even the moderate Republican Collins is, on paper, a bit too conservative for the majority of Maine’s voters.
Major philosophical divergences can’t be overcome, but small ones can be. Even then, though, it takes a special candidate to bridge the divide. This is especially true when the opposing party pours millions of dollars into the campaign to oust the incumbent and when they recruit a strong and politically savvy opponent. That’s what Maine Democrats did by putting the current speaker of the state House, Sara Gideon, against Collins.
Still, Collins persisted. In a series of three big debates, Collins performed superbly. And, of course, 24 years of building up trust and respect played in her favor.
That’s why, even as her party-mate Donald Trump lost Maine by some 9% of the vote, Collins has won by more than 8%.
Quality counts. Both Maine and the nation will benefit from Collins’s quality for six more years.
