Sen. Susan Collins’ decision preserves her role as a key moderate and swing vote in the Senate. | J. Scott Applewhite Collins declines run for Maine governor Collins’ decision preserves her role as a key moderate and swing vote in the Senate.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Friday that she would not run for governor of Maine, ending weeks of speculation with a decision to stay in the Senate.

Collins’ decision preserves her role as a key moderate and swing vote in the Senate. She had considered running for governor for months and faced pressure from fellow Republicans and moderates to stay in the chamber.


Collins announced her decision at a local Chamber of Commerce event, where she touted her Senate seniority and "persistent advocacy" for Maine in the Senate.

In her speech, Collins warned that the country is in a precarious moment, facing issues from stagnant wages "to a nuclear armed North Korea and Russian interference in the very fabric of our democracy, our elections."

But Collins said she believed the best way to address those problems was to remain a senator, though she admitted that the powers of the governorship were attractive.

"I am a congenital optimist and I continue to believe that Congress and can and will be more productive," Collins said. "I want to continue to play a key role in advancing policies that strengthen our nation, help our hard working families, improve our healthcare system, and bring peace and stability to a troubled and violent world. And I have concluded that the best way that I can contribute to these priorities is to remain a member of the United States Senate."

Senate allies applauded Collins' decision to stick with Congress.

"Her staying obviously keeps an essential voice in our conference especially in areas where she's worked a lot, like health care, she's just got great leadership and great ideas. And as a fellow woman, a Republican woman in the Senate, this is a good thing," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said in an interview Friday morning. "If she had left I think it would've been obviously be difficult to replace her and probably difficult to replace her with a Republican. Certainly she's irreplaceable as a friend."

Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, is barred from running for governor again due to term limits. Collins would have been the best-known candidate in the race to replace him, which includes several current and former legislative leaders and Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills.