Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, was hit with criticism from her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson after ProPublica published a report about her alleged interactions with a major campaign donor, as polls show a tight race in Maine six weeks out from the 2026 midterms. The FBI sought to launch a probe into Collins' dealings with a major donor, according to a ProPublica report, and the effort was abandoned after President Donald Trump's return to office, according to an investigation by the outlet. The report comes amid a tight Maine Senate race, one of the most competitive and closely watched contests in the 2026 midterms.
Jackson responded to the report in a statement provided to Newsweek, accusing Collins of “corruption of the highest order.” “Susan Collins doesn’t care that we’re losing our health care, that ICE is killing people on the streets, and that we’ve been dragged into a pointless war—as long as her donors get their contracts and her coffers get filled. We deserve answers about every contract and every conversation that Collins and her team facilitated on the backs of taxpayers,” he wrote. Collins’ office denied the report in a statement to Newsweek.
Annie Clark, who serves as Collins’ deputy chief of staff, said the claims in the report are “categorically false.” “There have never been any allegations of wrongdoing by the Collins for Senator campaign, and the campaign was never the target of the FBI investigation,” she wrote. Although Maine often leans Democratic and backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by about 7 points in 2024, Collins has been a longtime Republican powerhouse in the state. She has won by wide margins in the past due to her personal popularity and bipartisan image.
Democrats have been hopeful about finally unseating Collins this year. The national environment appears favorable for a blue wave due to President Donald Trump’s falling national approval rating and economic concerns tied to inflation and the cost of living. While Collins has sought to distance herself from Trump, Jackson has painted her as being too close to the president in a state where Trump remains unpopular.
The ProPublica report focuses on alleged interactions between Collins and Martin Kao, the CEO of Navatek, a Hawaii-based military contractor. The report alleged that Scott Reed, a representative from her super PAC, met with the company executives to solicit a $500,000 donation. Government contractors are prohibited from making campaign contributions.
The company’s CEO allegedly told Reed that Navatek “wanted Collins to guarantee tens of millions of dollars in additional federal funding,” ProPublica reported. An initial $150,000 donation was allegedly funneled to the PAC through a shell company, and he later told executives that Collins committed to securing $32 million in contracts for the company. He was indicted for making illegal campaign contributions in 2022 and told investigators about a wider effort involving Collins and other members of Congress—who were not named in the report—according to ProPublica.
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