Democratic challenger Troy Jackson is racing against the clock to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's 2026 Senate race. The two candidates are preparing for a series of four debates starting this week that could define the closely watched contest, with control of the Senate potentially at stake.
Senate appropriators from both parties, led by Chair Susan Collins, are developing provisions for the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill to prevent the White House from exerting political influence over medical research grants at the National Institutes of Health. The language would be included in legislation lawmakers hope to pass before stopgap funding expires December 11.
The Trump administration is scrapping plans for an executive order that would have given the White House greater influence over grant decision-making at the National Institutes of Health. The decision follows pushback from lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins.
Senator Susan Collins and other members of Congress are pushing back against a White House proposal to create a commission of political appointees to review National Institutes of Health research grants. The plan, pushed by OMB Director Russell Vought, has sparked concerns about politicization of federal biomedical research funding.
Reproductive Freedom for All has initiated a $250,000 mail campaign against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), targeting her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade. The campaign represents an escalation by abortion rights groups ahead of the 2026 race.
The FBI was investigating allegations that Maine Senator Susan Collins received nearly $200,000 in illegal campaign contributions from a defense contractor CEO through shell companies and straw donors. The probe was shut down after the second Trump administration dismantled the FBI unit handling the inquiry in 2025.
