This GOP senator's home state newspaper just made the case for Trump's impeachment

The Portland Press Herald, the largest newspaper in Sen. Susan Collins's (R-ME) home state of Maine, is urging her to convict President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

In its lead editorial published Tuesday, the Press Herald made the case for the president's impeachment by saying that "it's not even a close call."

"Trump was caught this summer using the powers of his office to cheat in the upcoming election," the editors write. "And when Congress started to investigate, he stonewalled, refusing to hand over documents and ordering employees to keep quiet. That constitutes abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, exactly the kind of 'high crimes and misdemeanors' the Framers had in mind when they put the impeachment clauses in the Constitution."

The editors then lay out the stakes for what will happen if the Senate GOP gives Trump a free pass.

"If Congress doesn’t stop him, the president will continue to cheat in the next election, corruptly using his powers to stay in power. And if Congress cannot investigate potential wrongdoing, there is no limit to how far he can go," they write. "How do we know? Because he’s been caught before."

Collins has long been a popular figure in Maine, but her approval rating has plummeted during Trump’s presidency, which has led her to hedge on whether she really wants to run for another term in the Senate. Collins’s seat figures to be a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats heading into 2020, as President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the latest Morning Consult poll stands at just 42 percent in Maine, with a disapproval rating of 55 percent.