Vice President JD Vance traveled to a manufacturing facility in Brewer, Maine, on Monday and singled out Sen. Susan Collins—a Republican who was not in the room. Collins, seeking another Senate term against Democrat Troy Jackson, had a prior personal commitment, according to her campaign spokesman Blake Kernan.
"And of course, the second shoutout I got to give is to my dear friend Susan Collins, the senator from Maine. Thank you," Vance said. He then ribbed her for her independence: "Susan is the most independent member of the United States Senate, and as the president of the United States Senate, she sometimes makes my job just a little bit harder."
Vance quickly framed that independence as a virtue. "She makes it harder because she is coming to work every single day and fighting not for a political party or not for any abstraction," he said. "She comes to work every single day, and she fights for the great people of Maine. And I've seen it."
The vice president went further, describing Collins as a frequent visitor to his official residence. "She has been to my house probably a half dozen times, the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory, and I've never seen a person who is more attuned to the details of every single thing," Vance said. He quoted her as repeatedly asking: "What does this do for Maine? How is this good for Maine? How is this bad for Maine?"
Kernan did not distance Collins from Vance. The spokesman cited her personal schedule while emphasizing her working relationship with the vice president—a careful message designed to keep both the Trump White House and Maine's independent-leaning voters onside.
Collins's absence was not simply a scheduling matter. She has broken with the administration on at least two high-profile issues in recent weeks. She announced her opposition to Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general—a direct rebuke to a Trump pick. In April, she crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats on an Iran war powers resolution that called for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iran, splitting from most Republican senators.
On trade, Collins has publicly opposed the administration's 50 percent tariffs on Canada—a position that puts her at odds with Trump policy on an issue Vance himself was defending in Maine on Monday. She also opposes new postal service rules that restrict mail-in voting, another departure from administration priorities.
Despite that record, Trump endorsed Collins's reelection bid in June. At the time, her expected primary opponent was Graham Platner. Platner later withdrew from the race after reports of controversial conduct in his personal life drained support from his campaign, leaving Collins without a serious Republican challenger.
Trump's posture toward Collins has not always been warm, but he has stopped short of backing a primary challenger against her—a step he has taken against other Republicans who crossed him. His June endorsement removed the most direct threat to her renomination, giving Collins room to stake out independent positions without facing a well-funded primary fight.
Maine presents a specific political calculation. The state leans Democratic in presidential years, and Collins has survived successive cycles by maintaining a reputation for independence. Running too close to the administration risks her standing with the moderate and unaffiliated voters she needs. Running too far from it risks losing support in a Senate where the Republican majority is narrow and every vote matters to leadership.
Vance's praise—delivered without Collins present—threads that needle for both of them. The vice president can claim a united front in a state he visited twice in four months. Collins can point to her policy differences as proof she answers to Maine, not Washington, without having to stand beside the administration on camera.
The broader Senate map shapes the Democratic calculus. Democrats need to flip four seats to take control, and they are contesting most of those seats on Republican-friendly ground. Maine is one of their better opportunities, which is why Jackson's challenge against Collins carries national attention and national money. A Collins who can campaign as independent-minded—with a vice presidential endorsement in her back pocket—makes that pickup harder for Democrats to execute.
