71% of Mainers say it's time for Senator Susan Collins to go: UNH poll

A new poll from the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center has revealed that the vast majority of Mainers do not feel that GOP Senator Susan Collins, who has served in the chamber since she was first elected in 1996, should get another term.

Overall, 71 percent of Mainers said that Collins should not get another term in the Senate. She is next up for reelection in 2026. Just 21 percent said that she should receive another term.

Among Democrats, 84 percent said she should not get another term, while 67 percent of independents and 57 percent of Republicans replied as such.

In the race to run for the seat in 2026, 40 percent said they would want to see Governor Janet Mills, who is term-limited and cannot run again for governor in 2026, run for the seat, while 56 percent said they would not want her to run. 36 percent said they would want to see Democrat Rep Chellie Pingree run for the seat, and 29 percent said they would want Dem Rep Jared Golden to run.

Nearly all demographic categories tracked by the survey said that she does not deserve another term, with libertarians being the only group in which over half of respondents wanted her to have another term, at 58 percent.

Among those who did not want to see her in the Senate again were 2024 Trump voters (60 percent), 2024 Kamala Harris voters (84 percent), CNN viewers (77 percent), Fox News viewers (59 percent), those with a household income of less than $45,000 (68 percent), and those with a household income of over $150,000 (67 percent).

This comes after Collins has gone against the Trump administration, voting against several nominees and opposing tariffs implemented by Trump.

Collins voted against Kash Patel’s nomination for FBI Director as well as Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. On the latter, Collins wrote at the time, "In sum, the Secretary is going to be facing a number of incredibly complex problems that are going to require highly skilled management ability. I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties. His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results."

"I am also concerned about multiple statements," she continued, "including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military. He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed."

Collins was one of four Republicans to side with Democrats in passing legislation to overturn Trump’s tariffs against Canada.