Maine Republican senator Susan Collins launches re-election bid for pivotal seat

Collins is expected to face tough re-election battle as Democrats seek to flip seat in this year’s midterm electionsUS politics live – latest updatesSusan Collins, the Maine Republican senator who is a top target of Democrats in this year’s midterm elections, on Tuesday launched her campaign for a sixth term in office.She is expected to face one of the toughest re-election battles of the year, as victory in Maine is seen as essential to Democrats’ hopes of winning back control of the Senate, and putting a halt to Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. First elected in 1996, Collins is among the few Republican senators who occasionally defy the president, and is the only one representing a state that the president did not carry in his successful re-election bid two years ago. Continue reading...