Susan Collins

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Key Figures

Nine Senate seats are rated as battleground races heading into November 2026. Democrats defend seats in Georgia (Jon Ossoff) and Michigan — both states Trump won in 2024. Republicans defend a seat in Maine (Susan Collins), a state Kamala Harris won. Democrats must hold all their seats and flip four Republican-held seats to take the majority. As of March 2026, four Senate Democrats and six Senate Republicans announced they would not seek re-election, opening additional competitive contests in Alabama, North Carolina, and Iowa.

The Respect for Marriage Act continues to provide statutory federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages despite Trump administration executive orders targeting gender ideology. Overturning the law requires an act of Congress or a Supreme Court ruling. As of 2026, no federal court challenge has succeeded in limiting RFMA protections.

On May 19, 2026, the Senate voted 50-47 to pull S.J. Res. 185 from committee, the first successful procedural move on a resolution aimed at ending unauthorized U.S. hostilities against Iran in the 119th Congress. Bill Cassidy flipped three days after losing his primary, while John Cornyn, Thom Tillis, and Tommy Tuberville missed the vote and handed Tim Kaine's resolution the margin it needed. The vote kept alive a congressional challenge to Trump's war after the War Powers Resolution's 60-day deadline had passed, but the measure still faced a final Senate vote, a hostile House, and a near-certain veto (CBS; NBC; CNBC; CNN; CRS; Lawfare).

The Senate rejected another Iran War Powers Resolution shortly before the 60-day legal deadline. The vote left Trump’s Iran operations in place and underscored Congress’s unwillingness or inability to force withdrawal.

The Senate votes 50-47 against a War Powers Resolution that would have required President Trump to end military operations in Iran within 30 days. For the first time, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joins all 47 Democrats in voting for the resolution. But the measure still falls three votes short of the 51 needed to pass. The vote comes hours before the legal 60-day deadline of May 1. (Bloomberg Gov, Apr. 30, 2026)