Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is one of the growing number of battleground Republican candidates who have decided against attending next week’s inaugural Republican midterm convention in Dallas before November’s elections.
“She won’t be at the convention,” a source familiar with the situation told the Washington Examiner. “It’s long been her practice not to attend conventions when she’s in cycle. She’ll be in Maine.”
Collins does tend to sit out extracurricular political activities as she tries, among other priorities, to protect her perfect voting attendance record since first being elected to the Senate in 1997.
The Senate, however, is not in session next week.
For example, she opted out of Vice President JD Vance‘s rally in Brewer, Maine, last week, citing prior commitments.
Collins joins the likes of fellow New Englander, former New Hampshire Republican Sen. John Sununu, who is also not expected to attend the convention.
“John is currently not scheduled to attend,” a source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner last week.
Sununu’s Republican primary for New Hampshire’s open Senate seat against former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown is one day before the convention, which begins Sept. 9.
The NFL’s opening game of the 2026 regular season between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots is on the same night as Vice President JD Vance‘s opening-night convention address, creating another scheduling conflict.
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The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams are due to play on Sep. 10, when President Donald Trump is anticipated to speak, but that game will be aired on Netflix rather than on TV and cable networks.
Collins and Maine Senate Democratic nominee Troy Jackson are in a tight race as of Monday, with Jackson averaging 48% support to Collins’s 46%, according to RealClearPolitics.