The Republicans Are in Big Trouble: Mid-term elections prediction for 2014

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33. Susan Collins is very popular

For reasons that totally escape me, Susan Collins is very popular in Maine, with approval ratings near 70%. I would be surprised (and that's an understatement) to see her lose to either a Tea Party challenger, or a Democratic opponent in the general election.

The fact that we have a Tea Party governor is simply a result of a three-way election. There are too many Tea Party types here (even in this liberal college town there are a number on my street), but compared to some places, the percentage is small. But, then again, Maine Republicans did choose LePage over several more reasonable Republicans in the last gubernatorial primary. So maybe there's a chance - that's the only way a Democrat could win this seat, if s/he was running against a Tea Party candidate.

If the Democrats could pick up just a couple of seats in the Senate, I think we would see Susan Collins voting with the Democrats more often, as she did with the background checks bill. Under the reign of W, I don't think she voted even once with the Democrats, and how she retained her reputation as a moderate is beyond me.

But, as other Mainers have been suggesting, her seat is safe.