Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on the president's proposed FY2027 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) defended her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, stating she does not regret the confirmation.
When confronted by reporters about the decision during her re-election campaign, Collins said she disagreed with Kavanaugh's abortion vote but pointed to justices she supported who voted to preserve abortion rights, including Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
"When I look at a justice, I look at their qualifications, their integrity, their background, their experience in reaching a decision," she added.
She noted disappointment with the decision returning abortion issues to states, though Maine expanded its abortion protections.
Collins faces a closely-watched re-election battle against Democratic nominee Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and harbormaster running on a progressive platform amid questions about his past accusations.
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