Susan Collins's reelection campaign is not going well

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was outraised, by more than 4 to 1, by her Democratic challenger in the last quarter.

The fundraising news is just the latest setback for the embattled Republican, who is hoping to win her fifth Senate term.

Collins’ challenger, Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon, raised more than $39 million dollars between July and September, Maine Public Radio reported Friday. Collins raised just $8.3 million over the same period.

Collins has not been ahead in the race to retain her seat in a single Maine poll taken since June. A Pan Atlantic Research survey published Thursday found Gideon ahead by more than 7 points.

Gideon currently leads Collins by 4.2 points, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average.

Donald Trump hasn’t helped Collins’ reelection chances. On Friday, Trump attacked Collins for saying she would vote against Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, and tweeted that Collins was “not worth the work!” Trump’s comments came one day after Collins refused to say whether she supports Trump’s reelection.

Collins has a tough line to walk — while Trump is deeply unpopular in Maine, he is well regarded by the Republicans in the state who make up her voter base.

While Collins has often expressed mild frustration or disagreement with Trump, she has also voted with him more than two-thirds of the time. This has included voting for Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy and his two previous Supreme Court nominees, along with hundreds of other right-wing judicial appointments.

Several groups that backed Collins in previous races have switched to Gideon this time around, including the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, the League of Conservation Voters, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and several prominent labor unions.

On Friday, local media reported that Collins had supported the campaigns of two GOP state legislature candidates who also appear to be QAnon believers. The FBI has labeled QAnon — a widely debunked conspiracy theory — as a domestic terrorism threat.

A spokesperson for Collins did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.