Maine Senate race heats up as Collins confronts protesters at ceremony

Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, faced repeated heckling from protesters on Tuesday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of a $9.2 million federally-funded Route 1 reconstruction project. 

Collins’ remarks on securing federal money for the project were repeatedly drowned out, showing both her challenges on the home front and the broader fight for Senate control.

Senator Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, has cast the Route 1 project as a major win for Maine communities. 

Protesters, however, shouted her down with chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!” while raising grievances over Medicare, Israel policy and her voting history for Trump-supported bills.

‘MAINE’S MAMDANI’: MAINE GOP CHIEF ISSUES WARNING ABOUT NEW CHALLENGER LOOKING TO OUST SUSAN COLLINS

Her Democrat challenger, Graham Platner, quickly seized on the moment, sharing a close-up video of the heckling on X that has nearly 4k likes.

With the Senate hanging by a razor-thin margin, Maine’s race has emerged as one of the most closely watched in the country. Democrats see Collins’ seat as a potential pathway back to control, while Republicans, led by President Trump, are fighting to defend their fragile majority.

“I’m so disgusted with the cuts the Republican Party has made to this Big Ugly Bill…. Get outta here!,” shouted one protester, referencing the “One, Big Beautiful Bill.”

At one point during the ceremony, Collins attempted to reason with the demonstrators. “Could you please just listen, for just one—” she began, before being cut off by a protester shouting, “We’d like you to listen!”

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“I have a suggestion. Would you listen to the suggestion?” asked Collins before another protester responded, “Vote Graham Platner!”

Graham Platner is a Democrat candidate seeking to challenge the longtime incumbent moderate Republican, who is facing a spirited reelection battle in an increasingly blue state.

Platner, a Marine and Army veteran turned oyster farmer, frames his candidacy as a fight against what he calls the “billionaire economy.” While his biography as a working-class veteran could resonate in a state with many independents, his policy platform leans hard to the left. He has called for banning billionaires from financing elections, raising the federal minimum wage, establishing postal banking and defending abortion.

He supports aggressive climate regulations, breaking up corporations he labels monopolies and ending what he terms “the mass deportation machine.” Platner has also demanded cuts to Pentagon spending, vowed to “stop pointless wars,” and backs expanding union powers. Those stances put him squarely in the progressive camp and open him to criticism that he is out of step with Maine’s moderates despite his veteran credentials.

Maine Republicans, meanwhile, were quick to paint Platner as out of step with the state. “Graham is a far-left progressive backed by national progressive operatives and environmental extremists. His views would be perfectly suited for a Portland City Council race – not for representing all of Maine,” Jason Savage, the executive director of the Maine Republican Party, told Fox News Digital. A Collins spokesperson likewise dismissed him as “just another progressive entering the race.”

Platner has also brought on Joe Cavello, a former senior aide to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as part of his campaign team, and tapped Democratic strategist Morris Katz, an adviser to New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, to produce his launch video.

With Republicans clinging to their slim Senate majority, Collins’ reelection fight could help determine whether Trump’s influence continues to shape the legislative agenda or whether Democrats reclaim the upper hand.

Maine’s Senate primary is scheduled for June 9, 2026, with the general election set for Nov. 3, 2026. Senator Susan Collins and Graham Platner did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias contributed to this report.