Sen. Susan Collins on Sunday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party of employing a campaign tactic involving numerous "outright lies" in attack ads against her and other Republican candidates. Collins, who is seeking reelection in a closely contested race in Maine, stated that she had never witnessed a campaign with "so many outright lies."
Speaking on Fox News, Collins alleged that Democrats are following "Chuck Schumer’s playbook," pointing to attack ads that she said were nearly identical to those used against other Republican lawmakers. She specifically cited an ad concerning Jeffrey Epstein, noting that two colleagues in competitive races had faced "virtually identical ads."
"There are a lot of differences between my opponent and me, but I’ve never seen a campaign with so many outright lies. It’s very frustrating," Collins said. She also suggested that Democrats are attempting to shift the focus away from local issues and toward national political divisions.
Collins characterized herself as a bipartisan lawmaker committed to working across party lines, emphasizing the need for more centrists in the Senate. She highlighted her voting record, asserting that her decisions are based on her convictions rather than political alignments with the White House or former President Donald Trump.
"There’s this phony figure out there that I voted with President Trump 95% of the time. That’s based on a sample of only 30% of the votes. If you look at a broader sample of 90% of the vote, that drops significantly to like 72%. And I voted against the president’s policies 138 times," she stated.
Despite her opponent, Democratic rival Troy Jackson, expressing optimism about his chances, Collins conveyed confidence in her reelection prospects, citing positive responses from voters during campaign events across Maine.