News

Vandals Leave Election Day Message Targeting Susan Collins

Her office has been targeted twice since September.

Virginia Kruta
Listen
Listen
4 min
Vandals Leave Election Day Message Targeting Susan Collins
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vandals targeted the Biddeford, Maine, office belonging to Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) late Monday night ahead of Election Day.

Red paint was spread on the sidewalk in front of her office door, along with the phrase, “Blood on her hands” — marking the second time that office has been targeted since September.

The Maine Wire’s Jon Fetherston reported on the vandalism, showing local workers cleaning up the mess.

Local police said that they received a call about the vandalism around 11 p.m. on Monday, and by Tuesday morning the paint had been washed away — but as Fetherston reported, members of Collins’ staff were shaken by the attack.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE: AMERICA PICKS SIDES WITH CONGRESS ON THE LINE 

Collins’ Chief of Staff Katie Brown issued a statement on Tuesday, saying, “This is another incident in a series and the second attempt at our Biddeford office to intimidate the senator and her staff. These tactics are disturbing, but not effective. Our staff is undeterred and on the job.”

The Biddeford office was also targeted on September 28, when someone spray painted the doors with the words, “Trump whore.”

Collins later revealed that her Bangor home had also been targeted, recounting the story during a radio interview.

“About a week ago, someone threw eggs all over our garage door, the front porch, window (and) front door,” Collins explained, saying that her husband, Tom Daffron, had only noticed the carnage when he got up to walk their dog.

“He said, ‘Susan, come out here. You won’t believe this.’ And sure enough, the garage door was stained with broken eggs and eggshells on the ground. It was our dog, Pepper, who noticed, because she went over to start to lick it, that there were eggs that had been thrown at our front door, our window and our porch,” she said, adding, “That’s just so unacceptable. I think it shows, unfortunately, the level that politics — even in the great state of Maine — have degenerated to.”

Collins, who followed the late Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in supporting the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, is no stranger to threats and attacks. After she declared her intention to vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, she received dozens of threatening phone calls and letters — including one sent to her Bangor home that said it contained deadly ricin, but was later determined to contain only starch.

The longtime Maine senator is currently battling to keep her seat against a challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson — who jumped into the race when the previous nominee, Graham Platner, was forced to leave the race after a number of scandals including accusations of sexual assault.

Create a free account to join the conversation!

Already have an account?

Log in

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip