Overview
- Sen. Susan Collins repeatedly told reporters she does not regret her 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh while saying she disagrees with his vote in Dobbs and is “disappointed” by the ruling.
- A short video of Collins saying “I do not regret that vote” circulated widely online and Democratic operatives and commentators urged the Platner campaign to use the clip as campaign messaging.
- Reporters and fact-checkers noted errors and omissions in Collins’s answer, including her naming Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Dobbs dissenter and failing to acknowledge that she voted to confirm several justices who joined the Dobbs majority.
- Polling shows a tight 2026 Maine Senate race with some surveys giving Democrat Graham Platner a narrow lead, making Collins’s public defense politically consequential for persuadable voters.
- Coverage varied by outlet with straight news outlets reporting her comments and the race context while opinion and left-leaning outlets emphasized the factual flaws in her reply and urged Democrats to press the point at the ballot box.