They dumped red paint outside her office and scrawled “BLOOD on her HANDS” on the sidewalk. This wasn’t some teenage prank or random act of stupidity. This was calculated intimidation against Senator Susan Collins, and it happened for the second time in a month at her Biddeford, Maine office, right before Election Day.
Let’s be clear about what we’re watching happen here. This is political violence dressed up as activism, and the people doing it think they’re the good guys. Back in September, vandals spray-painted “Trump whore” on her office door. Now they’re escalating with buckets of red paint and messages about blood. Katie Brown, Collins’ chief of staff, called these tactics disturbing but said the staff remains undeterred. That’s the kind of backbone we need, honestly.
Here’s what gets me. The same folks who spent years lecturing us about preserving democratic norms and respecting institutions are mighty quiet when actual threats and vandalism target Republican offices. Where’s the wall-to-wall media coverage? Where are the think pieces about the erosion of civil discourse? You know the answer.
To his credit, Troy Jackson, Collins’ Democratic challenger and former state senator, condemned the vandalism outright. He said there’s no place for it in Maine, that it’s wrong full stop. Jackson also condemned the September incident. That matters. When your political opponent does the right thing, you acknowledge it. We need more politicians willing to draw that line instead of offering mealy-mouthed both-sides nonsense or convenient silence.
The Biddeford office sits near where an ICE officer shot and killed Johan Sebastián Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national, back in July. Days after that shooting, protesters stormed through the front doors chanting “vote her out.” There’s a pattern forming, and it’s not subtle. These aren’t spontaneous expressions of frustration. Someone’s coordinating, someone’s planning, someone’s deciding that Susan Collins needs to be punished for doing her job.
Think about what this really means. A sitting U.S. senator can’t maintain a constituent services office without it becoming a target for vandals who fancy themselves revolutionaries. Her staff shows up to work wondering if today’s the day someone escalates from paint to something worse. That’s not democracy. That’s thuggery with a political veneer.
The Trump administration recently reaffirmed ICE arrest policies after some confusing guidance sparked alarm among agents. Immigration enforcement remains one of those issues where the gap between what voters want and what activists demand grows wider by the day. Collins has consistently supported strong border security and lawful immigration enforcement. That’s not controversial outside certain bubbles, but inside those bubbles, it apparently justifies vandalism and harassment.
Biddeford police are investigating, which is the bare minimum response. What we need is a broader cultural reckoning about political violence and intimidation. When did we decide it was acceptable to threaten people for their votes or policy positions? The answer is we didn’t decide that. A vocal minority decided it for us, and too many institutions lack the courage to push back hard.
Susan Collins will keep serving Maine. Her staff will keep showing up. But every American should be alarmed that this is becoming normal.
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