President Donald Trump's headline-making assertion that voters are angry with Republicans rather than with him personally appears to be at least partially borne out in a key swing state as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

In Maine, Democrats and independents who say they have repeatedly backed their state's senior Republican senator are now telling the Washington Post they will not do so again.

"I just gave her the benefit of the doubt," Kim Bridgham, a Democrat, told the Washington Post. "When she voted for RFK Jr., I totally lost it."

Bridgham was referring to Maine Senator Susan Collins, described by the Post as a "political powerhouse" who may no longer be able to count on her traditional coalition of crossover Democratic voters as she defends her seat against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. Collins, first elected in 1996 and the dean of Maine's congressional delegation, has long cultivated a reputation as one of the Senate's last Republican moderates — a brand built on independence from her party on high-profile votes. Her willingness to attract Democratic and independent support has been central to her durability in a state that has backed the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 2008. Jackson, a logger and former Democratic leader of the Maine state Senate from Aroostook County, launched his campaign framing Collins as out of step with working-class Mainers.

The stakes are considerable for both parties. The U.S. Senate is currently composed of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. With 35 seats contested in the 2026 midterms — 22 of them held by Republicans — Democrats would need a net gain of just four seats to reclaim the majority, according to 270toWin. Republicans, meanwhile, are defending open or potentially vulnerable seats in states including North Carolina, Maine, and Alaska, where incumbent Lisa Murkowski also faces headwinds from within her own party.

Collins' prospects in Maine remain uncertain. Her Senate voting record, her age (73), and the recent killing of a 26-year-old Colombian immigrant have all contributed to voters reassessing whether to send her back to Washington, D.C.

"I'm horrified that some young father who's just trying to provide for his family just got basically gunned down in the street," Bridgham said.

Margaret Shaw, a 74-year-old Democrat, also told the Post she will not vote for Collins again, as she has in past elections. Shaw pointed to Collins' decision to support the confirmation of anti-abortion Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as "the crack in the teapot." That teapot, Shaw said, shattered during Trump's second administration.

"Can't she speak out?" Shaw asked. "Can't she be like John McCain?"

Theresa Boisot, 56, an independent voter who supported Collins in 2020 and Trump in 2024, cited economic concerns as the reason she will not back the Republican senator again.

"She's taking money from other people and she's not giving it to us poor people," Boisot said. "I just don't like Trump, and I don't like Susan Collins, and I think they both need to hit the road."