Republican Senator’s Office Vandalized on Eve of Election
Vandals spray-painted an ugly message outside Sen. Susan Collins’ office.
Tom Williams/Tom Williams, Getty Images
The office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins was vandalized ahead of Election Day, for the second time in two months.
The words “blood on her hands” were scrawled outside her Biddeford office in Maine, along with a pool of red paint.
The vandalism occurred around 11 p.m. on Monday, local media reports.
“This is another incident in a series and the second attempt at our Biddeford office to intimidate the Senator and her staff,” Collins’ chief of staff Katie Brown said in a statement. “These tactics are disturbing, but not effective. Our staff is undeterred and on the job.”
In September, photos showed the words “Trump W--re” spray-painted in red on the doors to Collins’ office.
Collins, 73, said her home in Bangor, Maine, was egged a week before the September office vandalism.
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“About a week ago, someone threw eggs all over our garage door, the front porch, window (and) front door,” the senator told WVOM.
“That’s just so unacceptable,” Collins said. “I think it shows, unfortunately, the level that politics—even in the great state of Maine—have degenerated to.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins is running for re-election in a tight midterm race against Democrat Troy Jackson.
Taylor Coester/Taylor Coester, Reuters
The vandalism comes amid a broader rise in threats against elected officials, which have increasingly affected their personal lives. A recent New York Times investigation found that the threats had driven millions of dollars in additional security spending.
Collins has been at the center of several controversies in recent months.
In July, anti-ICE protesters swarmed Collins’ Biddeford office after federal agents fatally shot a 26-year-old man in Maine.
Protesters outside the office of Susan Collins after a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Biddeford, Maine.
CJ Gunther, Reuters
Angry protesters confronted the senator after she voted to approve a roughly $70 billion package to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of the Trump administration.
She has also been the subject of a federal investigation into alleged bribery that the Trump administration scrapped, ProPublica revealed in September.
Susan Collins, a senator from Maine since 1997, denies the bribery accusations.
Eric Lee, Reuters
The report shows that the head of the Collins super PAC sought $500,000 from defense contractor Navatek in 2019 to boost Collins’ re-election bid, after the senator helped the company secure a multimillion-dollar Navy research contract in Maine.
Collins is seeking re-election on Tuesday to what would be her sixth Senate term, potentially making her the longest-serving senator in Maine history. Polls have shown Democrat Troy Jackson with a slight lead over Collins, making her seat a key target for Democrats.
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