Republican Sen. Susan Collins was confronted at an event by angry protesters who drowned out her speech with loud boos and chants of “shame!”
Collins was holding a press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony in Searsport, Maine, on Tuesday, designed to celebrate the completion of two years of construction on the town’s Main Street.
Initially scheduled to take place on Main Street, the event was moved inside due to the presence of some 200 protesters lining the sidewalk.
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Footage posted to YouTube shows that once inside, Collins was confronted with loud boos and chants of ”Shame!” throughout the press conference.
Their protests escalated once Collins walked up to the podium and attempted to speak, with protesters criticizing her votes on Supreme Court nominees—despite being the only Republican to vote against confirming Amy Coney Barrett, she voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh—and accusing her of being complicit in the starvation of civilians in Gaza.
“Susan Collins made it possible for 1/3 of Mainers to lose Medicare. Hospitals are closing. She had the opportunity to stop this bill, and she did not,” Rachel Herbener told Wabi 5 News.
According to local reports, protesters targeted the event because Collins hasn’t held a town hall in years.
“If Susan Collins won’t come and hold a town hall so her constituents can say how they feel, we will come to where she is,” protester Janis Hogan told WFVX. According to the Maine Morning Star, the 72-year-old has not held such an event in 25 years.
“She prefers smaller group meetings or Zooms, rather than holding town halls where very few people get to speak, and the level of civility is often not that high,” a spokesperson told the outlet in June. “These forums were also difficult for people who were more reserved or less comfortable speaking in public.”
Collins offered to meet with protesters after the event if they stopped interrupting the ceremony, pleading with the crowd, “So, what you are telling me is you are rejecting my suggestion that you let the townspeople celebrate a monumental achievement. If you can’t show them the courtesy of that, then this is really bad—this is not the Maine I know.”
The protests continued, however, although one event organizer said that some protesters were “able to mingle with her and ask questions directly one-on-one after the ribbon cutting,” according to the Portland Press Herald.
While Collins is a Republican, her decision to vote against two key pieces of Trump-backed legislation this year drew the president’s ire, prompting him to write on Truth Social, “Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong.”
With many Republicans returning to their home states during the August recess, more and more GOP politicians are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of being confronted by unhappy constituents.
Rep. Mark Alford was told to take his head ”out of Trump’s a--” and denounce his lies at a Monday town hall, while Rep. Josh Brecheen struggled to adequately respond during a Tuesday town hall when asked what the Trump administration was doing to address cost-of-living concerns. In addition, Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman has been confronted at multiple town halls in recent weeks for her support of Trump’s domestic agenda.
