How does a single controversial decision shape a lawmaker's political future years after the fact?

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A single controversial vote can become a lasting political test when later events give it new meaning. In Susan Collins’s case, her 2018 vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh did not remain just a judicial confirmation; after Kavanaugh joined the 2022 Dobbs majority overturning Roe v. Wade, that vote became a proxy for judging her judgment, credibility and moderate brand. What keeps such a decision alive is consequence. Collins had argued at the time that she believed Kavanaugh respected precedent and would not overturn Roe. Because that prediction proved wrong, critics have used the vote to question whether she misread the nominee, was misled by him, or misled voters herself. Collins, by continuing to say she does not regret the vote, reinforces that the issue is still current rather than closed. A single vote also matters more when it clashes with a politician’s identity. Collins built her career as a centrist Republican and a supporter of abortion rights. The Kavanaugh vote sits uneasily beside that image, so opponents can frame it as evidence that moderation has limits. Supporters, by contrast, can argue it showed independence and a willingness to make difficult calls based on the information available at the time. Its power grows when the electorate sees the outcome as personal and immediate. In Maine, where abortion rights are broadly important and Senate control is at stake, the vote remains highly salient. Years later, one decision still shapes Collins’s future because it …

Collins Faces 2018 Kavanaugh Vote as Roe Reversal Haunts Maine Senate Race

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Collins Faces 2018 Kavanaugh Vote as Roe Reversal Haunts Maine Senate Race

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