Susan Collins' Maine Blueprint for Staying in Power

Slate argues that Collins survives a nationalized political climate in Maine by leveraging a deep, bipartisan record of constituent service and massive funding from her chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee, building durable local coalitions and earning credit for Maine projects; with Graham Platner as her opponent and a tough national environment for Republicans, her path to a sixth term hinges on Maine’s independents and her ability to translate federal dollars into local wins, though a loss isn’t impossible.