After a new independent poll shows Senator Collins “hemorrhaging” support among women voters and independents — and losing to Sara Gideon in a head-to-head matchup — the increasingly vulnerable incumbent is the first candidate to go negative in the Maine Senate race, launching a misleading attack ad more than eight months before Election Day.
Senator Collins’ desperate tactic marks a significant departure from her previous campaigns when she condemned negative campaigning, saying she didn’t “attempt to tear down my opponents.” Even her spokesperson called negative ads “an unfortunate campaign tactic.” In her last campaign in 2014, Senator Collins bragged that “every single ad that I’ve run has been a positive ad and I think that’s what the people of this state deserve.”
WATCH: What Changed Susan?
Now, facing her toughest reelection fight and polling that shows that she is the least popular senator in the country, Senator Collins is turning to negative attack ads more than eight months before Election Day in an attempt to rescue her flailing campaign.
“Senator Collins is now relying on the same negative ads she once condemned as polling shows her standing slipping,” said DSCC spokesperson Helen Kalla. “These misleading attacks can’t change her record of standing up for big corporations and special interests at the expense of Mainers.”
The DSCC launched WhatChangedSusan.com to highlight how Senator Collins has changed after 23 years in Washington. WhatChangedSusan.com will be updated regularly throughout the campaign.
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