Sen. Susan Collins of Maine could face another political challenge when President Donald Trump delivers a nationally televised speech Thursday night, according to political analyst John Heilemann.
Collins, a Republican seeking to defend her seat in November, has faced criticism in her home state following the fatal shooting of a father by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Monday. Critics have also pointed to her past support for federal funding that included money for immigration enforcement.
During an appearance on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday, Heilemann argued that Trump’s speech could make the political environment more difficult for Collins and other Republican candidates.
He said the president is expected to focus on claims that the 2020 election was stolen, an issue that could distract from the messages Republican candidates would prefer to emphasize during the midterm campaign.
Heilemann also pointed to Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for a Senate seat, as another candidate who could be affected. Recent fatal incidents involving ICE agents in Maine and Texas have returned immigration enforcement to the national political debate.
“These are states where those two candidates would rather be talking about almost anything other than what the president is going to be talking about on television tomorrow night, really raising the questions of totally ungrounded claims of election fraud in 2020 or whatever the big news is that Donald Trump says he’s going to break,” he told the “Morning Joe” co-hosts.
Heilemann predicted that Trump’s remarks could force Republican candidates to answer questions about both the 2020 election and the recent actions of federal immigration officers.
“That is a nightmare for Susan Collins,” he predicted. “That’s a nightmare for Ken Paxton. The voters in those states do not want to be talking about that. And then in those two states, these obviously absolutely outrageous ICE killings, just in the last couple of days, an issue that had bedeviled the Republican Party in the period of time through Minneapolis that seemed to have receded for a little while and now is back on the front pages.”
Collins has long presented herself to Maine voters as an independent-minded Republican willing to break with her party. However, her voting record and support for several Trump administration priorities are expected to remain central issues in the campaign.
Heilemann’s comments reflect concerns that Trump’s continued focus on the 2020 election could complicate Republican efforts to keep attention on the economy, immigration and other issues they believe may appeal more broadly to voters.
The political effect of Thursday’s speech will depend on what Trump announces and how closely Republican candidates are pressed to respond.