Vandalism Targets Senator Collins’ Office in Maine

The constituent office of Republican Senator Susan Collins in Biddeford, Maine, was vandalized by an unidentified individual.

On Monday, red spray-paint was discovered marking one door with the word “TRUMP” and another with “WHORE.” An image of the graffiti was shared by Matt Harrington, the Maine Assistant Senate Republican Leader, during a contentious midterm campaigning period.

“Senator Collins and her staff will not be intimidated,” Harrington remarked.

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson has repeatedly implied that Collins is under the influence of former President Donald Trump. He pointed to Collins’ moderate political stance and claimed, “Who has she served? She’s served Donald Trump,” at an emergency nominating convention in July, where he succeeded the controversial candidate Graham Platner.

Right before the vandalism incident, Jackson escalated his accusations against Collins. “Donald Trump owns her,” he stated to reporters in Portland over the weekend, as mentioned in reports from C-SPAN.

By the following Monday, Collins’ office had faced this defacement.

In a statement, Katie Brown, Collins’ chief of staff, condemned the act, saying, “Vandalism is unacceptable. 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.”

The paint was removed later that same day, as reported by the Portland Press Herald.

Harrington expressed his dismay, stating, “What has the world come to? This is disgusting, disappointing, and it’s not the Maine I grew up in. Do better.”

Interestingly, despite previous criticisms, Jackson also denounced the vandalism on Monday. “There’s no place for this in Maine,” he declared 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 pursuit to unseat Collins has been a challenging endeavor. In a past incident, his longtime partner, Lana Pelletier, reported to the police that Jackson had “pushed her around” after an altercation with another man, although both now deny he acted violently that night.

Current public polling averages show Jackson slightly leading Collins by one to two points, though Collins has performed better than expected in past elections. For instance, she was anticipated to lose to Democratic challenger Sara Gideon in 2020 but ultimately retained her seat by 8.6 points on Election Day.

The Biddeford Police Chief, JoAnne Fisk, confirmed that an investigation into the vandalism is underway, though no suspects have yet been identified, according to the Bangor Daily News.

Both State Senator Harrington and the Biddeford Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.