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Civic Leader Bio — Susan M. Collins

U.S. Senator (Maine) 1997-present · Lugar BPI #1 most bipartisan senator multiple cycles · ACA "no" with McCain July 2017 · Voted convict in 2nd Trump impeachment

Bio version 1.0 · Released 2026-05-23 · Master Ranking Position #5 of 36 · Research-first methodology

Composite: C+ 6.8

↑ View the per-measure (M01-M14) anchored scorecard for rank #5 | Master Summary Table | Top of Document

Four Pillars: 28/40 (Moderate)

Rank #5 of 36

Severity Flags: 0

Verifiable Quotes — In Her Own Words

Six documented statements from Susan Collins spanning her tenure — direct quotes with primary-source citations. Cross-aisle institutional commitment, principled stands, and contested accountability moments.

I am not a cookie-cutter Republican, never have been, never will be. I have always considered myself an independent thinker.

October 5, 2018 · Senate floor speech on Kavanaugh confirmation · 45-minute address explaining her reasoning · Source: Congressional Record, Senate, October 5, 2018 · Self-Identity

My vote in this trial stems from my own oath and duty to defend the Constitution of the United States. The abuse of power and obstruction of the Senate by President Trump meet the constitutional standard of "high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

February 13, 2021 · Senate floor statement on Trump's second impeachment · Collins was one of seven Republican senators voting to convict · Source: Congressional Record, Senate, February 13, 2021 · Principled Stand

It is not in our country's best interest to do something dramatic like repealing the Affordable Care Act without a viable replacement.

July 25, 2017 · Statement on her vote against ACA "skinny repeal" three days before the final no vote · Collins joined McCain and Murkowski to defeat party-leadership signature legislation · Source: Collins Senate office press release; multi-source contemporaneous reporting · Institutional Fidelity

Should this nomination succeed in the Senate, the precedent it sets will likely cause irreparable damage to the institution... I plan to vote against confirming Judge Barrett, simply because I think it's wrong to be voting on a Supreme Court nomination this close to a presidential election.

October 24, 2020 · Statement before vote against Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation · Collins was the only Republican senator to vote no, citing the McConnell Garland-2016 precedent · Source: Collins Senate floor remarks October 26, 2020 · Procedural Consistency

I am concerned that the protests will not only continue, but will become more intense in the days and weeks to come.

October 5, 2018 · Same Kavanaugh confirmation floor speech · This portion of her speech was widely criticized as misreading the moment; she voted yes after stating she did not believe Christine Blasey Ford's testimony established Kavanaugh's involvement · Source: Congressional Record, Senate, October 5, 2018 · Contested — Kavanaugh Vote

The American people are tired of the gridlock and partisanship. They want us to work together to solve problems.

March 2024 · Senate floor remarks during appropriations debate · Characteristic Collins framing emphasizing cross-aisle work · Source: Congressional Record; multi-source contemporaneous reporting · Cross-Aisle Posture

Reading note. This bio is the evidence base from which the framework's grade was derived. The Verifiable Quotes panel above is supplemental primary-source evidence outside the 850-word bio budget.

1.Identity

Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952, Caribou, Maine). U.S. Senator from Maine 1997-present. St. Lawrence University B.A. 1975 (Phi Beta Kappa). Prior career: staff for Senator William Cohen (R-ME) 1975-1987; Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation 1987-1992; New England regional administrator for U.S. Small Business Administration 1992-1993; Maine state finance commissioner under Gov. John McKernan 1994-1996. Married Thomas Daffron 2012 (no children). Ranking Member or Chair of Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Intelligence Committee. Lugar Bipartisan Index #1 or top-3 most-bipartisan senator across multiple cycles.

2.Voting / Legislative Profile

Lugar Bipartisan Index consistently top-quartile bipartisan senator across multiple Congresses; #1 most bipartisan in several individual cycles. DW-NOMINATE first-dimension placement: moderate-conservative (~+0.2 sustained) — the most-moderate Republican senator throughout her tenure. CEL Legislative Effectiveness Score: above-average sustained. ProPublica vote-tracking: Republican-caucus alignment ~75-80% — well below R-caucus average. Signature legislative work: Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2021 (named negotiator); Veterans Affairs reform; substantive Senate Appropriations Committee chairmanships including Defense Subcommittee. Voted "no" on ACA "skinny repeal" July 28, 2017 with McCain and Murkowski — three-Republican vote defeated party-leadership signature campaign promise. Voted to convict in 2nd Trump impeachment trial February 13, 2021 — one of seven Republicans. Sustained pro-abortion-rights position within Republican caucus. Survived 2020 reelection challenge in 8-point-Biden state.

3.Constitutional Moments

Voted to certify the 2020 election on January 6, 2021 (Senate Vote 1, 117th Congress). Voted to convict Trump in second impeachment trial February 13, 2021 — one of seven Republican senators; floor statement cited oath to Constitution as primary duty. Voted "no" on ACA "skinny repeal" July 28, 2017 alongside McCain and Murkowski. Kavanaugh confirmation October 6, 2018 — voted yes after 45-minute floor speech explaining process-based reasoning; speech became defining moment of her late tenure, drew sustained criticism from Maine constituents. Barrett confirmation October 26, 2020 — voted "no" on procedural grounds, citing Garland-precedent inconsistency. Later publicly acknowledged ambivalence about Kavanaugh-Barrett asymmetry — substantive Pillar II accountability moment.

4.Rhetoric & Discourse Profile

Sustained institutional-decorum rhetorical posture across 28-year Senate tenure. No documented Measure 05 incitement, threat, or anti-belonging conduct on the record. Discourse style emphasizes process and bipartisan-cooperation framing — "regular order," "committee process," "reaching across the aisle." No documented hot-mic incidents; sustained private-public consistency. Sharp moments on specific policy substance (Kavanaugh debate, ACA negotiations) but consistently substantive-disagreement rather than personal-attack framing. Maine constituent-tracking strong on cross-cleavage issues including reproductive rights, infrastructure, defense. No documented Measure 03 or Measure 12 violations across her tenure.

5.Fiduciary Profile

Net worth ~$1.5-3M — modest for a 28-year senator. Maine statewide median household income ~$70,000. Wealth-Disconnect Ratio ~25-40x — among the lowest in Senate office-type calibration. Clean financial disclosures across 28-year Senate tenure. No documented spouse-trading; no family-commercial-flow concerns; no foreign-government revenue. 2020 reelection campaign-finance scrutiny: ranking-member Appropriations during pharmaceutical-pricing debate raised questions about pharma donor receipts; Senate Ethics found no violation; pattern is sub-Severe appearance concern, not flag-triggering. No office-attributable wealth growth pattern documented in Senate FD records.

6.Severity-Class Conduct

No documented Severity-class conduct under any of the eight criteria across her 28-year Senate tenure. Some critics characterize her 2020 Kavanaugh vote as criterion-related but the methodology applies the eight criteria strictly to state-power-abuse conduct, not substantive vote disagreements — a confirmation vote is not Severity-class. No documented criterion 1-8 incidents on the record. Her flag count is zero. The framework applies symmetrically — same standard as McCain's Keating Five drag and Manchin's Enersystems drag: sub-Severe appearance concerns can drag composite without triggering flag.

7.What The Framework Says

Composite C+ 6.8 — fifth-highest in the 36-person pilot. Four Pillars 28/40 — Moderate.

Collins ranks #5 because her record demonstrates sustained cross-aisle work (Lugar BPI #1 multiple cycles), institutional fidelity at consequential moments (ACA "no" vote with McCain July 2017, 2nd Trump impeachment convict vote February 2021, J6 certification), and substantive Senate output (Appropriations leadership, Infrastructure Investment Act negotiation).

The composite stops at C+ 6.8 rather than reaching B because of the Kavanaugh-vote drag (constituent-rebuke significant; Pillar II ambivalence acknowledged but not fully resolved) and the Barrett-confirmation context (her "no" was procedural rather than substantive constitutional concern). Collins is the framework's closest active-Senate comparison to the McCain pattern: sustained cross-aisle work + institutional fidelity at signature moments + real but not flag-triggering fiduciary concerns.

8.Sources & Where To Look Deeper

Tier 1: Senate financial disclosures 1997-2024 at efdsearch.senate.gov; Congressional Record floor statements via congress.gov (ACA vote July 28, 2017; Kavanaugh speech October 5, 2018; 2nd Trump impeachment vote February 13, 2021); Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework 2021 conference documents.

Tier 2: Lugar Bipartisan Index; CEL LES; Voteview DW-NOMINATE; ProPublica vote-tracking. Reference: Ballotpedia profile.

5. Susan Collins (R) — C+ 6.8 [Open Full Bio →]

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