Schumer’s ‘number one target’ says voters will see her Democrat Senate challenger as too extreme
HARRISON, Maine — As she runs for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate in left-leaning Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins is once again a top target for Democrats."I...
By Fox News · Fox News
HARRISON, Maine — As she runs for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate in left-leaning Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins is once again a top target for Democrats. "I have been the number one target of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer , not only in this campaign, but the last two campaigns as well. I'm always his number one target," Collins told Fox News Digital in an exclusive national interview this week. And it's no different this time around, as Collins seeks re-election in a competitive and high-profile 2026 race that is one of a handful across the country that will likely determine if Republicans keep control of their slim Senate majority. Facing Collins will likely be military veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Schumer and the Democratic Party establishment, dropped out of the race last week after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling. SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE'S MAJORITY Platner is supported by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The first-time candidate advocates an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class. Asked if Platner is too far to the left for voters in her northern New England state, Collins said, "I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters . But obviously I don't take anything for granted." A Republican group supporting Collins is already blasting Platner in a new ad over controversial comments he made over a decade ago on Reddit about women and rape, and a well-publicized tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Among the comments is one from 2013, which Platner later deleted, that people concerned about rape should not "get so f---ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to." The candidate apologized for his controversial Red…