WASHINGTON — Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said on Wednesday that she would seek a fifth term in the Senate, formally entering what is expected to be her most challenging and expensive race on the day President Trump is expected to be impeached.
Her decision to seek re-election is not unexpected, but as one of the chamber’s few remaining moderates, she is seen as one of the more vulnerable senators in an increasingly polarized environment. The race will take place against the backdrop of impeachment, where her vote will be closely watched in a trial against Mr. Trump. She has been through this process before: She voted to acquit President Bill Clinton in 1999. And under Mr. Trump, she has emerged as one of the few reliable critics from the president’s own party.
“The fundamental question I had to ask myself in making my decision was this: In today’s polarized political environment, is there still a role for a centrist who believes in getting things done through compromise, collegiality and bipartisanship?” Ms. Collins said, making no mention of the impeachment proceedings set to unfold. “I have concluded that the answer to this question is ‘yes’ and I will, therefore, seek the honor of continuing to serve as Maine’s United States senator.”
With multiple opponents — including Sara Gideon, the Democratic speaker of Maine’s House — and Democrats eager to condemn her vote of support for Justice Brett Kavanaugh to join the Supreme Court, the campaign is expected to be the most expensive and challenging Ms. Collins has faced.
Ms. Collins has highlighted her record as a centrist senator willing to reach across the aisle and work on bipartisan legislation, including her work as one of the most senior members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She also has a record of objecting to some of the administration’s policies: withholding support for Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration to subvert Congress and build a wall at the southwestern border, voting against multiple Trump appointees and helping sink an effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Ms. Collins, who did not vote for Mr. Trump in 2016, has declined to weigh in on the substance of the impeachment inquiry, arguing that as a potential juror, she needed to remain impartial.