Susan Collins defies blue-state headwinds in crucial Senate

It’s nice to see a poll that treats Susan Collins like a living politician instead of a cartoon. The new survey has her leading Democrat Troy Jackson, 49 to 46, in a state that handed Joe Biden a 15-point win. That’s not a landslide of love for the incumbent. It’s a sign that Maine voters still recognize the woman who’s spent decades showing up to work, even when her party’s national brand gets gummed up.

Collins has built her career on being visible at every county fair and potato farm in northern Maine. Jackson has money and union backing, but he’s running against one of the best retail politicians left in the country. She won’t ever be a fire-breathing culture warrior, and that’s fine. Her point of difference is that she wins places other Republicans can’t even compete. If she beats a Democrat in a state like this, it’s because Maine voters are tired of the left’s obsession with national fights over potholes and heating bills.

The margin sits inside the poll’s error, so nobody should be booking the victory party yet. But in an environment where every Democrat wants to tie every Republican to whatever is loudest on cable news, Collins is showing that name recognition still beats rage. And the national party should take notes: trust built over decades travels further than a podcast clip.