Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73, has admitted she has a health condition for which she receives medication—which she never disclosed during five terms in office.
Collins finally came clean after she announced her bid for a sixth term in an “unboxing” video in February, which went viral not for its imitation of a Gen Z format, but because of her constant trembling.
The senator is now facing a 41-year-old Democratic opponent in her bid to serve until she is 80. For years, the senator has spoken with a tremor but never addressed its cause.
In an interview with News Center Maine, the senator revealed that the tremors seen in the video are the result of an “essential tremor” that she treats with medication.
“What I have is an extremely common condition that is called a benign essential tremor,” Collins said. “I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate. It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each day.”
She also said that she is confident in her ability to continue doing her job and serve another six years in the Senate if re-elected in November. She was first elected to the Senate in 1997, and is Maine’s longest-serving member of Congress.
“If you talk to anybody in Washington, they will tell you that I am the hardest-working person that they have ever worked with, and the fact is I’ve never missed a single vote in all the time that I’ve been honored to represent the people of Maine,” Collins told the outlet.
”I think that’s pretty good evidence of the fact that I am blessed with great health,” she added, noting that her condition is “inconvenient at times, but that’s all.”
The Daily Beast has contacted Collins’ office for comment.
A medical expert noted that the condition is not associated with cognitive decline or other neurological impairments.
“It tends to slowly get worse over time,” Dr. Rees Cosgrove, chief of the Division of Functional Neurosurgery at Mass General Brigham, told News Center Maine.
“It’s not associated with other neurologic impairments. So, it’s not associated with cognitive decline or memory decline. It’s not associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not Parkinson’s disease.”
Collins’ potential Democratic opponent, 78-year-old Maine Gov. Janet Mills, dropped out last month, paving the way for 41-year-old Graham Platner to become the party’s nominee.
Platner, a veteran of four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been given a 100 percent disability rating by the Veterans’ Administration and receives a monthly disability payment, though he insists this would not impact his ability to serve in the Senate.
“I’ve got a couple herniated discs,” he told News Center Maine. “My shoulder’s a wreck. My knees bother me. The VA gives me physical therapy for those things. I was also diagnosed with PTSD.”
“There are a lot of disabled combat or just disabled vets at 100% who still work,” Platner said in November, adding, “It’s a very normal thing.”
Democrats view the seat as one of their biggest flip opportunities in the upcoming midterms, the results of which could have substantial ramifications for the party’s ability to combat Republican control of Congress.
Collins is a moderate Republican who has been openly critical of Trump in the past—but also become notorious for expressing “concern” then voting for him. She was one of only two Republican senators to vote in favor of a war powers resolution last month designed to curb the Trump administration’s military operation in Iran, voting with Sen. Rand Paul and all Democrats except for Sen. John Fetterman to end hostilities.
“As I have said since these hostilities began, the President’s authority as Commander-in-Chief is not without limits,” Collins said in a statement released following Thursday’s vote.
“Further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close. I voted to end the continuation of these military hostilities at this time until such a case is made.”
