Susan M. Collins

RepublicanU.S. Senator, ME

Age	73 (b. 1952-12-07)
Gender	Female
In office since	1997-01-07 (~29 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White (English and Irish ancestry)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Education	B.A. in Government, magna cum laude, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York, 1975; member Phi Beta Kappa
Prior occupation	Legislative assistant and staff director for Senator William Cohen (1975-1987); Maine Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation (1987); New England Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (1992-1993); Deputy State Treasurer of Massachusetts (1993); Founding Executive Director, Center for Family Business, Husson College (1994-1996)
Military service	No
Birthplace	Caribou, Maine
Languages	English
Marital status	married — Thomas Daffron
Children	0
Residence	Bangor, Maine (Greater Bangor area)
Notable relatives	Father: Donald Collins, Maine state legislator and mayor of Caribou (d. 2018); Mother: Patricia Collins, first woman elected mayor of Caribou and first female chair of UMaine System Board of Trustees (d. 2024); Uncle: Samuel W. Collins Jr., Maine Supreme Judicial Court and Maine Senate

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	1996
Previous offices	Maine Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation (1987) · New England Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration (1992-1993) · Deputy State Treasurer of Massachusetts (1993) · Founding Executive Director, Center for Family Business, Husson College (1994-1996) · Republican gubernatorial nominee, Maine (1994) — lost general election
Committees	Senate Appropriations Committee (Chair, 2025-present) · Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee · Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Caucuses	Republican Main Street Partnership · Senate Taiwan Caucus · Congressional Coalition on Adoption
Leadership	Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee (January 2025-present) · Vice Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee (119th Congress, prior to chairmanship) · Chair, Senate Special Committee on Aging (2015-2021) · Chair, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (2003-2007)
Ideology	Consistently identified as the most moderate Republican in the Senate; New York Times ranked her most liberal Republican in 2017; American Conservative Union lifetime rating 46.03%; National Journal 2013: 55% conservative, 45% liberal; voted with her party only 59% of the time (1997-2016); ranked most bipartisan senator in 116th Congress by Lugar Center
Signature legislation	Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (co-authored with Sen. Joe Lieberman; created Director of National Intelligence and National Counterterrorism Center) · Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (led bipartisan effort) · Respect for Marriage Act (Dobbs-Collins, 2022; codified same-sex marriage in federal law) · Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021; core negotiating group of 10 senators) · Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (2016; opioid treatment provisions) · Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022; gun safety) · Kay Hagan Tick Act of 2019 (Lyme disease and tick-borne illness federal response)

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $3,087,088–$7,959,000 (2023) · estimate

TD Bank (deposits, multiple accounts)	other · $450,003–$1,000,000 · 2023
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)	fund · $15,001–$500,000 · 2025
Apple Inc. (AAPL)	stock · $1,001–$250,000 · 2025
Fidelity Asset Manager 50% (FASMX)	fund · $100,001–$250,000 · 2025
Waste Connections, Inc. (WCN)	stock · $1,001–$250,000 · 2025
Voya US Stock Index Fund	fund · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023

Top donors: DLA Piper ($55,133 (career)) · Georgia Crown Distributing ($34,800 (2024 cycle, via Collins Victory Committee))

Top industries: Securities & Investment · Health Professionals · Pharmaceuticals/Health Products · Insurance · Finance, Insurance & Real Estate

Scandals & crimes ledger

dismissed — Maine Ethics Commission review of 2017 gubernatorial-exploratory polling expenditure

campaign-finance · 2017-01-01 · A complaint alleged Collins violated Maine election law by having her federal Senate campaign committee pay approximately $61,000 for polling used to gauge her prospects in a potential 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary — an expenditure that, if characterized as state-race-related, would have exceeded the $1,600 state contribution/spending limit applicable to that race. Collins' counsel argued the polling served a federal campaign purpose and was not commissioned to help her decide on a gubernatorial run. At its May 27, 2020 meeting, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices voted 3-0 to accept a staff recommendation against opening a formal investigation. · Commission voted 3-0 not to investigate; complaint closed with no finding of a violation.

The Maine ethics commission reviewed a complaint that Collins' Senate campaign improperly paid roughly $61,000 for polling to gauge a potential 2018 gubernatorial run, exceeding state contribution limits, but voted unanimously not to open an investigation.

Sources: Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices · Bangor Daily News

resolved — Illegal straw campaign contributions from Navatek executives to Collins campaign and allied super PAC

campaign-finance · 2019-12-26 · Defense contractor Navatek LLC (later renamed PacMar Technologies) won an $8 million Navy contract in August 2019 that Collins had helped secure. Months later, Navatek CEO Martin Kao arranged for the company to fund a shell entity, the 'Society of Young Women Scientists and Engineers LLC,' which then made a $150,000 contribution to the pro-Collins super PAC 1820 PAC in December 2019 — concealing Navatek's status as a prohibited federal-contractor donor. Kao and Navatek executives Lawrence Lum Kee and Clifford Chen also used family members as straw donors to funnel additional reimbursed contributions directly to Collins' 2020 campaign committee. Kao, Lum Kee and Chen were indicted in February 2022. Kao pleaded guilty to conspiracy, funneling contributions, and making false statements, and was sentenced in October 2025 to 33 months in prison. Lum Kee and Chen pleaded guilty in 2023 and received 12 months of probation each. The FEC separately fined PacMar Technologies $325,000 in February 2025 for the straw-donor and federal-contractor contribution violations. Collins herself was not charged; her campaign said it had no knowledge of the scheme until a search warrant was reported in the press, and 1820 PAC did not disgorge the $150,000 contribution to the U.S. Treasury as generally required for illegal contributions. · Guilty pleas and criminal sentences for three Navatek executives (33 months prison for Kao; 12 months probation each for Lum Kee and Chen); FEC conciliation agreement and $325,000 fine against PacMar Technologies. No charges or findings against Collins or her campaign committee personally.

Executives of defense contractor Navatek/PacMar funneled over $150,000 in illegal, disguised contributions to Collins' 2020 campaign and a supportive super PAC; the executives pleaded guilty to federal crimes and the company was fined by the FEC, though Collins herself was not charged and her campaign denied knowledge of the scheme.

Sources: Washington Post · Portland Press Herald · Honolulu Civil Beat · Federal Election Commission · The Hill