Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, faces criticism from Planned Parenthood for her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who played a role in overturning Roe v. Wade.
Graham Platner, a Democrat, is challenging Senator Collins. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, has expressed support for Platner.
On June 22, 2026, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Platner for the Maine Senate seat. This organization is the largest abortion rights entity in the U.S. It chose Platner over Collins, one of the few Republican senators who support abortion rights.
The Maine affiliate of Planned Parenthood praised Collins as recently as May 2025 for her support of essential health care and opposition to federal funding cuts for Planned Parenthood. However, at an event in Portland, McGill Johnson criticized Collins for not making difficult decisions in advocating for abortion rights.
Addressing the issue, McGill Johnson stated, “Senator Collins is a fair-weather feminist at best.” She noted that Collins supports reproductive freedom only when convenient, as seen by women holding signs for Platner in Planned Parenthood’s signature pink.
The race poses a dilemma for some Democrats in Maine. They express concern over reports of Platner’s conduct toward women but remain dissatisfied with Collins’s 2018 vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh later joined the conservative majority in overturning Roe v. Wade, a ruling that had ensured the constitutional right to abortion for nearly 50 years.
Angela Kuefler, a Democratic strategist and pollster, suggests the Platner campaign is leveraging the abortion rights issue. The aim is to challenge Collins’s moderate image while gaining more support among female voters, who are the majority of the Maine electorate.
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