Lewiston Mayor Withholds Backing for 2026 Collins Challenger as Senator's Clout Looms
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Lewiston Mayor Withholds Backing for 2026 Collins Challenger as Senator's Clout Looms
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Summary
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline declined to endorse Democrat Jordan Wood in Maine's 2026 Senate race, denying the first announced challenger to Susan Collins support from his own hometown mayor.
Sheline said local projects Collins helped finance — including housing, a food distribution center and a mill museum — figured into his decision, alongside concern about possible political retribution.
Wood argued that fear of crossing Collins shaped the outcome, while the episode underscored how the Republican incumbent's constituent-service network still influences local Democratic officials.
Nearly 30 years into her Senate tenure, Collins is portrayed by critics and observers as pairing a moderate public image with a hard-edged, highly transactional style of Maine politics.
Why would a Lewiston mayor withhold support from a challenger after multiple meetings, and what does it reveal about the power of local project funding?
How much influence can years of securing housing, redevelopment, and civic funding give one senator in a city like Lewiston?