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In an interview earlier this week, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) refused to endorse President Trump for re-election in 2020, the Bangor Daily News reports, saying, “I’m not prepared at this point to make that decision.”
Less than a day later, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) told the Independent Review Journal that he’ll back Trump in the 2020 election because, “I know what Kamala Harris and I know what Bernie Sanders will do to Colorado.”
Both lawmakers top the list of endangered senators in the 2020 election (along with Sen. Martha McSally in Arizona). But the two different strategies suggest they’re worried about very different things.
Gardner represents Colorado, a state that’s been trending towards the Democrats for a decade, but he also faces discontent among those in his own party. Gardner demanded that Trump drop out of the 2016 presidential race and admitted he didn’t vote for him. He’s most likely looking to fend off a primary challenge.
Collins represents Maine, an oddball state that frequently defies national trends and elects independent politicians. But Collins remains well-liked among Maine Republicans and likely sees her biggest threat to re-election as her eventual Democratic challenger.
We know these two seats will be among the most heavily targeted in next year’s election. But both senators will have to navigate Trump first.
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