Republican Sen. Susan Collins is planning to run for a sixth term in two years, NBC affiliate News Center Maine reported.
The senator made the announcement of her 2026 campaign at a stop Friday in Vassalboro.
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Collins has been in office since 1997 and has staked out a moderate position in the Republican Party. Earlier this week, she voiced skepticism about President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
“Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but I’m certain that there will be a lot of questions,” she said.
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News Center Maine reported that she addressed those comments Friday, saying it would be premature to take a stance on cabinet nominees before the confirmation process. She also responded to reports of Trump's transition team skipping FBI background checks for some picks.
"The FBI has extensive experience in doing background checks on nominees," Collins said, according to News Center Maine. "This has been the standard procedure for a very long time, and I expect this is what the Senate will want to see."
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Collins did not endorse Trump or Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the election, saying she would instead write in Republican Nikki Haley.
Her vote in the Senate is often pivotal, and her historic positions have put her both in support of and in opposition to Trump.
She was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection after his second impeachment following the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The year before that, she voted to acquit Trump at his first impeachment trial, when he was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, saying she hoped Trump "learned his lesson."
