Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) has launched her campaign for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate, revealing for the first time that she has been living with benign essential tremor for many years.
At 73, Collins spoke openly about her condition on Wednesday. This disorder causes noticeable tremors in her hands, head, and voice, but she emphasized that it hasn’t hindered her ability to serve in her role.
“I’ve always felt capable while serving in the Senate,” Collins shared. “It doesn’t impact my work or how I feel day to day.”
First elected in 1996, Collins proudly mentioned that she has never missed a Senate vote during her nearly three decades in office, nearing a striking 10,000 consecutive votes. She sees this as evidence of her continued fitness for duty.
“Folks in Washington often say I’m one of the hardest workers they’ve encountered, and in all my years representing Maine, I’ve never missed a vote,” Collins said.
“I think this sort of proves that I’m fortunate to have good health.”
She reiterated that her symptoms have had “absolutely no effect” on her job performance or daily functioning, remarking, “It can be inconvenient, but that’s about it.”
Collins has made a mark in American politics over the past 30 years, being Maine’s longest-serving member of the House and the longest-serving Republican woman in the Senate today.
Benign essential tremor is a nervous system disorder that leads to uncontrollable rhythmic tremors, primarily affecting the hands, though it can impact other body parts. While the Mayo Clinic notes it isn’t generally dangerous, symptoms tend to worsen over time, potentially leading to serious complications.
Even though essential tremor can sometimes be confused with Parkinson’s disease, they are fundamentally different conditions and there’s currently no known way to prevent it.
According to Dr. Reece Cosgrove, chief of functional neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital in Boston, about 5% of adults over 40 and 20% of those over 65 are affected by this disorder.
In February, Collins declared her intent to seek reelection, stating in a campaign video as she unboxed new sneakers, “This is perfect for 2026. I’ll run!”
Her Democratic opponent, left-wing populist Graham Platner, has also been scrutinized over health concerns during the campaign. The 41-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan veteran has discussed living with PTSD and combat injuries from his multiple overseas deployments.
Last month, it was reported that Platner had once defended a Marine involved in a controversial incident with a Taliban fighter’s corpse.
