An unknown assailant vandalized the constituent office of Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Biddeford, Maine.
A message in red spray-paint seen Monday read “TRUMP” on one door and “WHORE” on another. An image of the tagging, shared by Maine Assistant Senate Republican Leader Matt Harrington, comes amid a heated midterm campaign in the state.
‘Senator Collins and her staff will not be intimidated.’
Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson has repeatedly suggested that Collins is “owned” by President Donald Trump, despite Collins’ reputation as a political moderate.
“Who has she served? She’s served Donald Trump,” former Maine Senate President Jackson said at the emergency nominating convention in July, when he replaced controversial candidate Graham Platner.
Immediately prior to the vandalism, Jackson ratcheted up accusations of subservience against Collins.
“Donald Trump owns her,” Jackson told reporters in Portland over the weekend, according to C-SPAN footage cited by Spectrum News.
By Monday, Collins’ office was defaced.
“Vandalism is unacceptable,” Sen. Collins’ chief of staff, Katie Brown, said in a statement. “Senator Collins and her staff will not be intimidated. Our Biddeford constituent service office remains open, and we will continue serving the people of Maine.”
RELATED: Graham Platner’s replacement has history of violence, unearthed police report reveals
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The paint was cleared later that same day, according to the Portland Press Herald.
“What has the world come to? This is disgusting, disappointing and it’s not the Maine I grew up in,” Harrington said on X. “Do better.”
Despite Jackson’s earlier rhetoric, he also condemned the vandalism on Monday.
“There’s no place for this in Maine,” Jackson said in a statement. “Vandalism and intimidation are wrong, full stop. Senator Collins and her staff should be able to do their jobs without anyone defacing their office, and I condemn whoever did this.”
Jackson’s slapdash effort to topple Maine’s five-term Republican senator has been an uphill battle. In 1988, Jackson’s longtime domestic partner, Lana Pelletier, told police that Jackson “pushed her around” after a fight with another man, though both she and Jackson now deny that he was violent with her that night.
Public polling averages still have Jackson up by one to two points, though Collins has consistently overperformed relative to polling. Collins was expected to lose to Democrat challenger Sara Gideon in 2020, but ended up retaining her seat by 8.6 points on Election Day.
Biddeford Police Chief JoAnne Fisk confirmed that an investigation into the incident has been opened, but no suspects have been named, the Bangor Daily News reported.
State Sen. Harrington and the Biddeford Police Department did not respond to requests for comment from Blaze News.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
