President Donald Trump is looking to make a huge chess move that could alter his influence in the United States Senate by seeking out candidates to replace GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine for the 2026 midterms.
White House officials have already had discussions about potential replacements, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who spoke with Politico on condition of anonymity.
Although there hasn’t been any confirmed talk of pushing a primary challenge, Trump said he’d like to see a “better option,” as Collins is the most likely Republican to cross the aisle and vote with Democrats.
Despite supporting the GOP on votes that included confirming Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Collins voted against Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation and against Trump’s spending bill.
Collins hasn’t officially announced any campaign plans yet, but she reportedly expressed her desire to run again and recently said she is “pleased” with her fundraising efforts thus far.
This will be a difficult decision for Trump and the Republicans.
They would have to find the perfect candidate who is not only conservative, but who could get elected by Maine voters, who tend to lean liberal.
If Trump makes a move and supports a primary challenge, it might backfire.
It would turn a sometimes “yes” vote into an immediate “no” vote on all issues.
Will Susan Collins run for re-election in 2026?
The challenger might also lose the primary, but damage Collins in the process, handing the seat over to the Democrats anyway.
The end goal is reasonable: Elevate a younger and more conservative candidate into a winnable seat.
Democrats have had their eyes on that seat for decades, though, and will spend big money — while exploiting divisions amongst Republicans — to reclaim it.
These worries, however, do not erase Collins’ voting record. When a bill came forward to codify Trump’s foreign aid cuts, she voted against it.
She also voted against the recent recissions bill to cut government funding for public media.
Her behavior mimics Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who also voted against the recissions package, foreign aid cuts, and voted with Democrats back in April to adopt a resolution designed to cancel the president’s tariffs on Canada.
Murkowski is a “Republican” who had to stage a write-in campaign in 2010 to survive losing her primary. She was also originally appointed by her father to fill his seat after he left the Senate when he was elected Governor. She now benefits from the awful ranked-choice voting system in the state.
Whatever the party’s decision regarding Collins, it won’t be an easy road.
Yet with friends like these, who needs enemies?
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