Susan Collins (R-Maine)

U.S. Senator (since January 1997)

(Matthew Gagnon)

Why She Matters

Collins is among the last of her kind - a Republican representing a blue state - and her willingness to break party ranks makes her a true wild card in the closely-divided Senate. Without Collins' support, Democrats will have a difficult time advancing legislation past GOP filibusters, so she faces intense pressure from Republicans to hold the party line on close votes.

Collins' clout quickly came to the fore in early 2009 during the debate over President Obama's $800 billion economic stimulus package. Obama quietly courted Collins' support, inviting her to the White House for a rare one-on-one meeting to discuss the legislation. "When I got the call, I was pretty amazed. It was just the two of us, no aides," Collins said of the meeting.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Executive Director, Center for Family Business, Husson University, (1994 to 1996)Maine Deputy Treasurer, 1993
Birthday: Dec. 7, 1952
Hometown: Caribou, Maine
Alma Mater: B.A., St. Lawrence University, 1975
Spouse: Single
Religion: Roman Catholic
Committees: Ranking member, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ; Appropriations ; Armed Services ; Aging
DC Office: 413 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510(202) 224-2523

State Offices: One City Center, Stop 23Portland, Maine 04101(207) 780-3575
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Path to Power

Collins was born Dec. 7, 1952, in Caribou, Maine, and grew up in Aroostook County near the Canadian border. Collins' parents, Donald and Patricia, each served as mayor of Caribou. Donald also spent time in the state legislature. Two of Collins' brothers, Sam and Gregg, manage S.W. Collins Co., a lumber company that has been in the family for five generations.

Collins' small business background is an integral part of her political identity, and she generally favors policies she says would help entrepreneurs, such as the elimination of the capital gains tax.

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Collins made her first trip to Washington, D.C., as part of the Senate Youth Program when she was 17 years old. During the visit Collins spent nearly two hours talking with then-Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (R-Maine), and the meeting made a lasting impression on her. "She really instilled in me a sense that you can make a difference as a woman, and serve in the highest office," Collins said.

While attending St. Lawrence University, Collins landed an internship in the Washington office of then-Rep. William Cohen (R-Maine). After earning her B.A. in 1975, Collins went to work for Cohen full-time as a legislative assistant. She served in Cohen's office for 12 years and was staff director of a Government Affairs subcommittee on oversight from 1981 to 1987.

Collins returned to Maine in 1987, joining the cabinet of then-Gov. John R. McKernan (R) as secretary of professional and financial regulation. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed Collins New England regional director for the Small Business Administration, a job she held until President Clinton took office in 1993. Upon leaving the SBA, Collins headed to Maine to work as that state's deputy treasurer.

Maine Gubernatorial Race

After nearly two decades of low-profile government service, Collins made her big move in 1994, announcing her candidacy for governor of Maine. She emerged as the top Republican in a difficult eight-way primary battle, becoming the first woman ever nominated for governor of Maine by a major party.

Collins' gubernatorial campaign was a difficult experience. Many of Maine's leading Republicans gave her the cold shoulder, and her fundraising lagged behind rivals Angus King (I) and Joseph Brennan (D). Collins also took heavy criticism from conservative groups for her views on social issues. The lowest point in the campaign came when Collins' brother Michael was arrested in connection with a $1 million marijuana distribution operation on the day she planned to hold a press conference on welfare reform. Collins finished third in the general election, netting merely 23 percent of the vote. "I got clobbered," Collins said of the race.

U.S. Senate Bid

Collins took some time away from politics after her electoral defeat, founding Husson University's Center for Family Business in 1994. Collins worked as the center's executive director until 1996, when her mentor, William Cohen, announced his retirement from the Senate. Cohen encouraged Collins to make a run for the vacated seat, and with his public endorsement she reluctantly jumped back into the fray.

In some ways, Collins' failed gubernatorial run paved the way for her successful Senate bid; the experience taught her how to campaign confidently, and the enduring name recognition put her on equal footing with opponent Brennan, a two-term Maine governor and former congressman. Collins emphasized her centrist views during the campaign, hammering Brennan's voting record and dismissing him as a mere "party-line Democrat." Brennan tried to take the sheen off Collins' moderate image by attacking her opposition to the federal ban on assault weapons. Despite visits to Maine by President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on Brennan's behalf, Collins was victorious on Election Day with 49 percent of the vote.

Collins was resoundingly re-elected in 2002, beating Democrat Chellie Pingree (now a Maine House member) with 58 percent of the vote. Her victory over Allen in 2008 was even more decisive, suggesting Collins is a safe bet for re-election in the years to come.

Collins keeps a residence in Bangor, Maine, and says she spends a lot of her free time immersed in gourmet cooking. She has never married.

The Issues

Collins diverges from the Republican party platform on social issues such as abortion (she's pro-abortion rights and voted against the late-term abortion ban) and gay marriage (she believes the issue is best left to the states). She has also occasionally strayed from the party line on environmental issues, opposing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while supporting stricter fuel standards for automobiles. Collins is nonetheless an avowed fiscal conservative; she has supported pay-as-you-go spending rules and a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced federal budget.

Collins' voting record generally reflects her centrist reputation; she sided with Republicans 67.6 percent of the time in the 110th Congress. Only fellow Maine Sen. Snowe voted with her party less often in the Senate during that time.

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Collins is ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and unofficially acts as co-chair of the panel with chairman Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). She also serves on the Armed Services Committee, Appropriations Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.

Campaign Finance Reform

Sens. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) were seeking a third Republican sponsor for their campaign finance reform bill when Collins arrived in the Senate in 1997. "The first time Russ Feingold and I met, he had all my statements I'd made during the election in favor of campaign finance reform," Collins said. Feingold convinced Collins to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill, and she remained a close ally throughout the five-year battle to pass the legislation. By 2002, Collins had helped build a coalition of Republican support that was crucial to the law's passage.

Intelligence Reform

Collins' biggest legislative accomplishment came in 2004, when she negotiated a structural overhaul of the nation's 15 intelligence gathering agencies following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. As chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Collins was tasked with implementing some of the recommendations from the Sept. 11 commission report. One of the most contentious recommendations was the creation of a new position, national intelligence director, with broad powers to coordinate spying efforts and shift resources between agencies.

Collins found herself in the center of a classic Washington turf war as the various intelligence agencies jockeyed to maintain their independence and authority. Collins also faced fierce resistance from some of her Congressional colleagues.

Then-Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and John Warner (R-Va.) feared the restructuring would limit the Pentagon's authority, and they accused Collins of muscling through the bill without understanding the issues involved. With the help of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the veteran lawmakers fought bitterly against the legislation, trying numerous times to derail its progress with hostile floor amendments. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) was impressed with Collins' ability to beat back the challenges. "I'm absolutely convinced that people thought they could push her around," he said.

With the help of Lieberman and firm backing from the White House, Collins steered the bill to final approval in late 2004, solidifying her reputation as a fearless negotiator and tireless consensus builder.

The Economy

Collins was one of the three Republican Senators who voted for President Obama's $800 billion stimulus package in February 2009. Along with Sens. Snowe and Arlen Specter, she forced the bill to be downsized before signing off on it.

Collins voted for the $700 billion bank bailout bill in October 2008 and is leading the charge for increased oversight of how the money is spent. "The lack of transparency and accountability [in the program] is just not acceptable," Collins said.

Health Care Reform

Snowe oppoes health-care reform legislation that contains a strong public option.

The Network

Collins has worked closely with Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) during her Senate career, and the two seem to have struck up a genuine friendship. Collins maintains a cordial but competitive relationship with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) , Maine's other senator with whom she is often compared..

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