Collins says she’ll remain in Senate

ROCKPORT, Maine — Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Friday that she won’t run for governor because she believes she can do more good by remaining in Washington, where she serves as an important swing vote.

Her announcement was welcomed by supporters who view her as an important check on President Trump, with whom she’s sparred on the GOP’s health care proposal.

“My voice and vote really matter in Washington right now. The Senate is closely divided and I am able to make a difference,” Collins, 64, told the Associated Press after a local chamber breakfast.

Speculation about Collins’ political future has been swirling for more than a year in her home state, where the moderate remains popular even as the Maine GOP has become more conservative. Collins acknowledged it was a difficult decision, one that she’d struggled over.

The only Republican senator from New England has found herself among a dwindling number of GOP centrists like Arizona’s John McCain who are willing to work across the aisle. But she’s not afraid to buck her own party: She introduced a bill to let transgender people serve in the military and opposed efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act without a replacement.

In Washington, she’s been a consistent thorn in the side of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as her willingness to go her own way has left him short of votes on key bills, most prominently his efforts to repeal “Obamacare.”

On Friday, McConnell praised Collins for choosing to remain in the Senate, saying she “brings conviction, smarts and leadership to every issue.”