Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has decided to back Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her hotly contested re-election campaign.
According to the Boston Globe, the Republican governor will appear in a series of ads funded by a GOP super PAC supporting the embattled U.S. senator. The campaign also features Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
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Collins, who is seeking a fifth term and long enjoyed a reputation as a moderate who reached across the partisan aisle, is facing the toughest campaign of her career in Democrat Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House, and Democrats view unseating her as key to retaking control of the Senate.
In attack ads, Democrats have been hammering away at her votes for Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court and for Trump’s tax breaks.
Gideon already has raised more than $24 million, compared with more than $16 million for Collins, according to the latest campaign finance reports. That doesn’t include $3.8 million for Gideon that was crowdsourced by critics of Collins during the debate over Kavanaugh.
A recent poll by Quinnipiac University showed Gideon with a 12 point lead over Collins.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, took to Twitter on Friday to criticize Baker for endorsing Collins.
"Susan Collins gave us Brett Kavanaugh and Trump's tax giveaway," she said. "A vote for her now is a vote for Mitch McConnell and Trump's agenda. It's not good for Maine, and it's not good for Massachusetts. Charlie Baker should know that. I'm with @SaraGideon."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
