Congress
‘Hate to lose the earmarks’: This powerful Republican got trounced despite securing billions
More than $1.5 billion in earmarks couldn’t save Sen. Susan Collins from the “blue wave” Tuesday night, proving outsized influence in Congress isn’t always an antidote for deep voter dissatisfaction with an incumbent party.
The Maine Republican centered her reelection campaign on the argument that, in an institution largely governed by seniority, her nearly 30 years in Washington and control of the powerful Appropriations Committee could deliver more for Maine than her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. She even peppered voters with county-specific text messages in the final days before polls closed, touting the spoils of a half-decade of earmarks guaranteeing funding for specific home-state projects.
But it wasn’t enough, by a long shot. Collins lost to Jackson by almost 8 percentage points Tuesday night, matching similar Democratic blowouts throughout the country as Republicans were ousted from control of both the House and Senate.
Collins campaign manager Steve Abbott attributed the Republican incumbent’s loss to “bigger forces at play” than local politics, noting that the five-term senator “has been able to do extraordinary things for the state at a level that’s unprecedented in our modern history.”
“People are really unhappy about the direction of the country,” Abbott added in an interview at the Collins watch party as disappointed supporters left the ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor.
Collins is not the only Republican incumbent who touted earmarks in the final weeks before Election Day and lost anyway. Reps. Mike Lawler of New York, Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania and Monica De La Cruz of Texas were all defeated Tuesday despite reminding voters of the hundreds of millions of dollars they each secured for specific projects in their districts.
Three others who took that tack — Reps. David Valadao of California, Rob Wittman of Virginia and Tom Barrett of Michigan — are trailing their Democratic challengers as election officials continue to tally votes in those districts.
Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who has represented Portland and surrounding towns for almost 18 years, said in an interview that there is no doubt voters are “grateful for the amount of money a state’s able to receive” when represented by a top appropriator.
“But I think Mainers were balancing the Republican majority and the cuts to our state already,” Pingree added. “So, yes — we hate to lose the earmarks that go to fire departments and sewer projects and other things. But overall, we’re much better off without a Republican majority.”
She noted almost $1 trillion in reductions to health care spending under the GOP megabill enacted last year, President Donald Trump’s tariffs, staffing losses at federal agencies like USDA and the expiration of subsidies for people who buy health care through the federal marketplace.
Jackson, the Democrat who beat Collins, said on Election Day he should be assigned to the Appropriations Committee to ensure Maine still has a seat at the table.
“I know people will chuckle and stuff like that. I know it’s based on seniority,” Jackson told reporters at a canvassing event in Portland Tuesday, hours before the polls called. “But I think if I beat the Appropriations chair, then I should be on Appropriations. That’s going to be my argument anyways.”
However, a person close to the Collins campaign, granted anonymity to speak candidly, warned that Maine voters “are going to wake up and be kind of shocked” at the influence and funding they have lost by ousting the longtime senator — and that “someone brand new” won’t be able to bring home the same level of federal funding.
“You can go to any town here in Maine,” the person said, “and Sen. Collins has delivered.”
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he’s staying out of the race for House minority leader.
Sitting Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan have both announced runs following Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to step aside, and both are close allies of Trump. The president told reporters he’s not choosing sides.
“We’ll stay out of it,” he said, then briefly mentioning Jordan. “But the speaker was fantastic. The people under him were fantastic. All good people. I guess right now you have two candidates, right?”
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chair of the GOP’s House campaign arm, conceded his race for reelection, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter, granted anonymity to share not yet public details.
The Associated Press has not yet called the race. But the decision is a stark sign of just how far the country shifted left: The person responsible for getting House Republicans elected this cycle is accepting defeat in a district President Donald Trump carried by almost 16 points just two years ago.
He called Democrat Richard Ojeda to concede, the two people said.
This would be the first time ever a chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee has lost in a general election. In 1992, the NRCC chair lost in a primary.
North Carolina Republicans felt the pressure leading up to Election Day, with worries about a massive win by Roy Cooper in the Senate race likely endangering a slew of once safely red House seats like Hudson’s and others.
Ojeda, a veteran who lost a Senate race in West Virginia in 2020, was drastically outspent by Hudson. But in a sign that Democrats thought they could flip the seat, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee threw $130,000 behind Ojeda last week.
Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan asked GOP colleagues Wednesday to reelect her as Republican conference chair, the No. 3 House leadership position, promising to “get back in the fight” after Tuesday’s sweeping losses.
In a letter obtained first by POLITICO, she said Republicans must “drive the national conversation” and “make sure the American people know what’s at stake” as Democrats take control of the House.
“We must also make sure every member has the tools and platforms to aggressively take the fight to the Democrats,” she wrote. “I know our members, understand the challenges facing their districts, and have built relationships and a communications operation ready to serve you immediately.”
McClain has held the conference chair position, which is traditionally focused on party messaging and internal member organizing, for the past two years. With Speaker Mike Johnson stepping aside as Republicans move into the minority, staying as chair would mean taking a step up the party leadership ladder.
“The Chair’s job is not to build a personal brand. It’s to elevate yours,” she said in the letter. “I represent a deep-red district in a purple state and understand that what works in one district may not work in another. I’ll make sure you have the resources, messages, and platforms to reach your constituents and bring your voice to a national audience.”
No other candidate has formally emerged but some Republicans want Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida to challenge McClain. The two ran against each other for the position in 2024, with McClain more than doubling Cammack’s support.
Republicans have until noon Friday to declare their candidacy. Leadership elections are scheduled to begin Tuesday after Congress returns to Washington.
McClain raised over $8.5 million this cycle, with $3.5 million given to other House Republicans.
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