4 minPolitics
Collins accuses Schumer of backing attack ads filled with lies in Maine
Maine Senator Susan Collins accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats of running false attack ads against her and other Republicans just two days before Election Day, as a Fox News poll shows her race with Democrat Troy Jackson tied.
Sen. Susan Collins on Sunday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party of running a wave of false attack ads against her and other Republican candidates, saying she has never seen a campaign with « so many outright lies ». She made the remarks in an interview with Fox News two days before Election Day in Maine, where she is seeking reelection in a closely watched race against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.
According to the latest Fox News poll, the two candidates are tied at 49 percent. Collins said Democrats were following « Chuck Schumer's playbook » and pointed to attack ads she said were nearly identical to those aimed at other Republican lawmakers. « One of the outrageous, completely false ads against me had to do with Jeffrey Epstein, » she said. « And it turns out, in talking to two of my colleagues who are in tough races, that they had virtually identical ads run against them. So this is part of Chuck Schumer's playbook. » She added: « There are a lot of differences between my opponent and me, but I've never seen a campaign with so many outright lies. It's very frustrating. »
Collins also argued that her opponent and Democratic allies were trying to nationalize a race that should focus on local issues. « It's certainly an attempt by my opponent and Chuck Schumer and their allies to nationalize this race, » she said. Turning to her own campaign, she presented herself as a bipartisan lawmaker and argued that the Senate needs more centrists as moderates increasingly leave Washington. « Unfortunately, a lot of them have given up and retired or decided they just didn't want to run again. And that's one reason I am running again, » she said. « We need more people who are willing to work across party lines. That is really important. »
She described herself as the « most independent senator on either side of the aisle » and pushed back on claims that she votes closely with President Donald Trump. « There's this phony figure out there that I voted with President Trump 95% of the time. That's based on a sample of only 30% of the votes. If you look at a broader sample of 90% of the vote, that drops significantly to like 72%. And I voted against the president's policies 138 times, » she said.
Jackson has told Fox News he believes he has a « good shot » at defeating Collins, but the longtime Republican senator said she is more optimistic than ever about her chances. « I'm feeling very optimistic based on the great response I get in visiting communities all over the state, » she said.
The race is part of a broader Senate battle. New York Times/Siena polling found Democrats leading in most of the seven tossup Senate races, with Democrats up in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine and Ohio, holding an edge in Alaska and effectively tied with Republicans in Iowa. In Alaska, a federal judge on Sunday rejected a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration that sought to block officials from certifying results in the Senate race there if the incumbent senator lost.
5
