Sen. Susan Collins is facing fresh questions about her age and health after a condition she kept private for decades was clearly visible during a lengthy new interview — even as the Maine Republican blamed concerns about aging politicians on former President Joe Biden.
Collins, 73, sat down with Politico at a lobster shack in her home state as she campaigns for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate.
During the nearly hour-long conversation, Collins’ hands appeared to shake as she ate chowder and lifted a drink to her mouth. A lobster sat untouched in front of her.
The veteran Republican revealed publicly in May that she has benign essential tremor, a neurological condition that can cause involuntary shaking of the hands, head and voice.
“What I have is an extremely common condition that is called a benign essential tremor,” Collins told News Center Maine at the time.
She said she has lived with the condition throughout her entire Senate career and takes medication to control it.
“It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each day,” Collins said, describing it as “inconvenient at times, but that’s all.”
Medical experts have stressed that essential tremor is not the same as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s and is not associated with cognitive decline.
Dr. Rees Cosgrove, chief of the Division of Functional Neurosurgery at Mass General Brigham, previously told News Center Maine that the condition does, however, tend to slowly worsen over time.
Collins’ campaign told the Daily Beast that her condition has not worsened.
But the timing of her disclosure has drawn scrutiny because Collins spent nearly three decades in the Senate without publicly discussing the tremor.
Her condition became a subject of widespread online speculation earlier this year after Collins posted a video announcing her reelection bid while unboxing a pair of sneakers and declaring, “I’m running.” Her shaking was noticeable in the footage.
During the Politico interview, Collins was asked about growing public concern over the number of elderly politicians remaining in high office.
Her answer immediately turned to Biden.
“I think it’s totally due to the concealment of Joe Biden’s health problems,” Collins said. “I think that’s what did it.”
The remark could raise eyebrows among critics, given that Collins herself disclosed her longtime medical condition only months ago.
Collins also refused to close the door on another Senate campaign six years from now, when she would be 79.
“Never say never in politics,” she said.
That answer is particularly notable because Collins first ran for the Senate in 1996 while pledging to serve only two terms. She has remained in office since taking her seat in 1997 and is now seeking a sixth.
Her reelection fight has become one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
Democrats view Maine as a potentially crucial pickup opportunity as they try to regain control of the chamber and blunt President Donald Trump’s power in Washington.
Collins is facing Democrat Troy Jackson, 58, a logger and former president of the Maine Senate who replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in July.
Four polls conducted since mid-July have reportedly shown Jackson leading Collins by between 2 and 8 percentage points, while election forecasters have described the race as either a toss-up or one giving Jackson a narrow advantage.
Collins is dealing with other political headaches as well.
The Daily Beast recently reported that Wayne Erkkinen, whom Collins’ campaign hired in June as a town chair in Greenville, had previously been a member of the Oath Keepers, the far-right organization whose members were involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Collins’ campaign responded by arguing that it would be unreasonable to expect the campaign to know the complete background of every volunteer.
She has also attracted attention after fundraising messages asked supporters to help pay for gas for her reelection tour.
Collins said last week that she plans to participate in four debates against Jackson. Jackson has said he would prefer the candidates meet in town hall-style forums.
With her health now under a brighter spotlight and Democrats aggressively targeting her seat, Collins could be facing one of the toughest campaigns of her nearly three decades in Washington.
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