Susan Margaret Collins was first elected to the United States Senate from the state of Maine in November 1996 and has held the seat without interruption since January 1997. She has, across that span, perfected a particular form of public address that has become the defining feature of her political brand. The Senator is concerned. She studies the question. She weighs the considerations. She announces her position in a measured speech delivered in a measured voice and votes, with reliable frequency, at the moments her vote actually matters, with the Republican leadership. The brand has been remarkably durable. It has, across five terms, persuaded a sufficient share of Maine’s electorate that Collins represents a moderating influence on her party, an independent voice in a polarized Senate, a Republican of conscience in the institutional tradition of Margaret Chase Smith.
