In case you missed it, Governor Hogan penned an op-ed in The Portland Press Herald urging Maine voters to re-elect Susan Collins to the Senate “because America needs leaders like her now more than ever.” In September, Governor Hogan appeared in two ads endorsing Senator Collins.
Read The Op-ed Here And Below.
We Need Susan Collins In The Senate
Governor Larry Hogan
If we had listened to the pundits and the loudest voices on both sides, I would never have had the honor of serving as Governor of Maryland and Susan Collins would have not have been elected to the US Senate.
In 2014, when I first ran as a Republican to be Governor of Maryland, no one except me, my family, and a hard-working group of supporters thought I even had a shot. At that time, Maryland was the most Democratic state in the country. But I was able to pull off the biggest upset in America because I brought together Republicans, Democrats, and Independents around a hopeful, optimistic vision for the future.
As Governor, we’ve advanced the best ideas, regardless of which side of the political aisle they come from: turning our economy around from one of the worst in America to one of the best, lowering taxes on hard-working families, reducing health insurance premiums for three years in a row, and moving forward on the highest priority transportation projects across our state. In 2018, while Republicans were defeated across our country by a Blue Wave, I was re-elected overwhelmingly because voters recognized that we did things differently. Democrats, Republicans and Independents appreciate civility and bipartisan, common-sense leadership.
Senator Susan Collins is exactly that kind of leader. She has earned herself a reputation as a fiercely independent thinker who cares deeply for Maine and our nation. Because of her leadership, we are all in a much stronger position today, in the wake of COVID, than it would have been without her seniority and dedication.
Last March, as COVID struck out shores, I had the honor of leading the nation’s governors. As governors on both sides of the aisle were making life or death decisions on the front lines of this crisis, we desperately needed support from federal leaders who could forge bipartisan consensus.
We knew we could rely on Senator Collins. She didn’t hesitate, quickly bringing her colleagues from both sides of the aisle together to author the Paycheck Protection Program. This program was negotiated in record time, and it literally saved Main Street businesses in Maine, Maryland and all across this country.
In times of crisis, this type of leadership is indispensable. Unfortunately, it’s all too rare in Washington today. Senator Collins possesses the increasingly rare ability to set differences aside to work together for the greater good. As our nation continues on the road to recovery, we need more leaders like her in the Senate, not less.
Now, as we get closer to Election Day, you will predictably see even more of an influx of ads attacking Senator Collins’ hard-earned reputation and character. Many of these false ads reflect the toxic politics that Senator Collins has spent her career fighting in Washington.
The best way to stop toxic partisan politics is not by rewarding it. It’s by supporting independent, thoughtful, and effective leaders like Senator Collins.
I’ve always admired Maine’s long history of voting for candidates based on their ideas and their character, rather than their party label. Mainers value results more than showmanship, independence more than toeing the party line, and bipartisanship more than partisan gridlock.
Senator Collins has set the gold standard for these Maine values.
Her willingness to stand up against the powers that be to focus on what really matters is refreshing. Because of Senator Collins, nearly every Maine taxpayer owes less to the federal government now than they did three years ago, and she has done a tremendous job of supporting Maine families and small businesses.
She recently earned the distinction of being the most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate for an unprecedented seventh year in a row. Even those who disagree with her can’t dispute how hard she works. She’s never missed a roll call vote for any reason.
Despite our challenges today as a nation, I still believe that no problem faces us that can’t be tackled with hard work, honesty and courage. And those are exactly the qualities Susan Collins brings to her job every single day.
As we head into this November election, our nation is bitterly divided and too many in both parties are consumed with partisanship and dysfunction. So as you cast your vote, I urge you to re-elect Susan Collins not just because Maine needs her in the Senate, but because America needs leaders like her now more than ever.