Susan M. Collins
Republican
· ME Senate · 119th Congress
Senate Committee on Appropriations (Chair) · Housing and Urban Development (Chair) · and Related Agencies (Chair) · Senate Committee on Health (Chair) · Senate Special Committee on Aging (Chair) · Rural Development · Food and Drug Administration · Health and Human Services · and Education · Veterans Affairs · Foreign Operations · and Related Programs · and Pensions · Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Influence Score
88.4
Most exposed
↑ +17.1
vs 118th (71.3)
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This score measures financial influence across twelve categories. Each bar shows how this member compares to all others in Congress. Longer bars mean more exposure.
Score breakdown — twelve categories
Contributionsmoney from PACs (political action committees) and individual donors
6.8
/ 12
Outside spendingmoney spent by groups to help elect them
3.8
/ 6
Spent to help elect them
$4,220,893
Outside groups that spent to help elect this member — this drives the outside-spending bar above
Spent to defeat this member
$60,236
Outside groups that spent to defeat this member (not counted in this score)
Lobbyinghow hard lobbyists push the committees this member sits on
9.2
/ 10
Vote alignmenthow often they vote the way their donors want
6.2
/ 12
Contribution timingmoney arriving near key votes
2.3
/ 6
Stock tradesbuying stocks in industries they regulate
0.0
/ 1
Dark moneyfunding from groups that hide their donors
< 0.1
/ 2
Outbound money distributionmoney this member sends out to the party and to colleagues
11.4
/ 16
Cluster network breadthhow many coordinated funding networks back this member
7.7
/ 10
Committee jurisdiction powerthe legislative reach of the committees this member sits on
10.0
/ 10
Foreign interestforeign-interest money — Israel-policy PACs and FARA-registered institutional lobbying allocated by committee jurisdiction
10.3
/ 12
Israel-policy PACs behind this score
REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (RJC-PAC)
$14,372 direct
AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$4,994 direct
NORPAC
$3,500 direct
FARA institutional lobbying
This member’s committees are targeted by $324.76M in lobbying from FARA-registered firms representing South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia. This exposure is weighted at 0.2% of face value in the score — $650K.
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Score across four congresses
Score and tier for each Congress. Members are ranked against others in the same Congress, so tiers are comparable across rows. Raw scores reflect different data availability per Congress.
| Congress | Score | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 116th · 2019-2021 | 86.5 | Most exposed |
| 117th · 2021-2023 | 84.6 | Most exposed |
| 118th · 2023-2025 | 71.3 | Highly exposed |
| 119th · 2025-2027 | 88.4 | Most exposed |
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Biggest funding source
The single network behind the most money and influence
Network
SLF PAC
Total money from this network
$266,724
Number of funding networks contributing
1
— ◊ —
Where most of the money comes from
What share of their combined contributions and outside spending comes from a single network. Party committees are excluded.
Network
SLF PAC
Share from this one network
35.4%
Amount from this network
$1,638,724
Total from all networks
$4,633,950
Networks contributing
457
— ◊ —
Who funds Collins
Every funding network we can measure, ranked by influence
$5,421,865
— ◊ —
Does the money match their power?
Whether their money comes from the industries their committees actually oversee
Money from industries they regulate
1.5%
Extra weight when money matches their committees
2.00×
Share of outside spending tied to their policy areas
9.6%
— ◊ —
Money timed to key votes
Donations arriving near key votes in the policy areas this member regulates
Times money arrived near a vote
11
Money that arrived near votes
$29K
Distinct donors
13
Distinct employers
10
Share of their total fundraising
1.88%
Biggest clusters of timed money
FISHER INVESTMENTS
$7K
OPPIDAN INVESTMENT
$7K
JIM NORTON TOYOTA
$3K
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
$2K
GREENBERG RAPP FINANCIAL
$2K
MABREY BANK
$2K
BOULEVARD FINANCIAL
$2K
KB FINANCIAL COMPANIES
$2K
BOULEVARD FINANCIAL
$1K
HAMILTON INSURANCE
$1K
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Top Donors
Biggest sources of contributions, grouped by employer, this cycle
BLACKSTONE
$82K
KKR
$70K
LOCKHEED MARTIN
$56K
AMERICAN AIRLINES
$38K
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
$34K
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS
$22K
DCI
$21K
ATLAS
$18K
FTX US
$17K
BLUFF POINT ASSOC
$17K
LIONSGATE
$17K
CAPITAL
$16K
ELLIOTT INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
$16K
HOMEMAKER
$16K
BRELAND HOMES
$15K
JANE STREET
$15K
THE CAMBRIA
$15K
AXXESS
$15K
TARGETED VICTORY
$14K
KIRKLAND ELLIS
$14K
Where the outside money comes from
How much of the outside spending for and against Susan M. Collins comes from groups that disclose their donors versus groups that hide them
Total outside spending received
$1.31M
Disclosed outside spending
$1.07M
Dark-money outside spending
$237K
Share that is dark money
18.07%
Dark money tied to their policy areas
$0
Groups hiding their donors
2
By funding network
SMP
$54.88M
DSCC
$9.29M
WOMEN VOTE
$9.01M
PRIORITIES USA ACTION
$6.49M
1820 PAC
$5.41M
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS CONGRESSIONAL FUND
$4.91M
VOTE FOR EQUALITY
$4.20M
THE LINCOLN PROJECT
$3.62M
NRSC
$2.93M
SLF PAC
$2.78M
VOTEVETS
$2.57M
CHANGE NOW
$2.31M
FF PAC
$2.15M
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L E
$2.00M
DEMOCRACY PAC
$1.92M
Groups that hide their donors
$233K
Likely donors behind the dark money supporting this member
Inferred
Donors who fund the disclosed PACs in the same network as the hidden groups above. "Coverage" is how many of that network's disclosed groups a donor funds — the more they fund, the more likely they also back the hidden group.
NEVADANS FOR STEVEN HORSFORD
$80K
TITUS FOR CONGRESS
$80K
SUSIE LEE FOR CONGRESS
$79K
NRCC
$840K
MILLER-MEEKS FOR CONGRESS
$109K
GEORGE SOROS
$525.74M
SMP
$81.00M
BLACKPAC
$47.25M
AB PAC
$25.50M
HMP
$15.00M
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Pro-Israel network donors
This counts contributions to this member from individuals whose FEC filings also show contributions to one of the 16 pro-Israel political action committees tracked by the Index. It is a measure of donor overlap — not a claim about why any individual gave, and not part of the influence score.
414 individuals who also gave to pro-Israel PACs contributed $947K to Susan M. Collins across 560 contributions.
Total from shared contributors
$947K
Shared contributors
414
Contributions
560
By cycle
| Cycle | Shared donors | Gifts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 8 | 9 | $13K |
| 2024 | 7 | 11 | $17K |
| 2026 | 405 | 540 | $917K |
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Revolving Door
17 former staff members
who worked for Susan M. Collins or the committees they serve are now registered lobbyists.
| Lobbyist | Former position | Firm | Clients | Filings | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WILLIAM BALL | Sen. Susan Collins, 2010-2015; House Committee on Natural Resources, 2015-2020 | FOLEY & LARDNER LLP | 20 | 59 | 2023–2023 |
| MIKE WAKEFIELD | Intern, Sen. John Warner; LA, Leg. Counsel, Rep. Mike Coffman; Military LA, Coun… | HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP | 17 | 17 | 2025–2025 |
| MICHAEL DIROMA | Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Legislative Affairs (Internationa… | DIROMA ECK & CO. LLP | 10 | 67 | 2023–2025 |
| AMANDA LINCOLN | Staff Director, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Legisla… | BUCHANAN INGERSOLL & ROONEY PC | 8 | 24 | 2025–2025 |
| ROWAN BOST | Legislative Aide, Office of Senator Susan Collins; Legislative Correspondent, Of… | STEPTOE LLP | 6 | 8 | 2023–2025 |
| ROBERT EPPLIN | LD Sen. Collins; LA Sen. Smith; Analyst, OMB Budget Review Division; Prof Staff,… | EPPLIN STRATEGIC PLANNING | 4 | 26 | 2023–2025 |
| MICHELE PEARCE | Staff Lead, Subcmte on Readiness, House Armed Services Committee; Senior Defense… | COVINGTON & BURLING LLP | 4 | 4 | 2023–2023 |
| ROBERT EPPLIN | LD Sen. Collins; LA Sen. Smith; Analyst, OMB Budget Review Division; Prof Staff,… | KED STRATEGIES, LLC | 4 | 34 | 2023–2025 |
| MARY DIETRICH | Prof Staff, Senate Appropriations Committee; Clerk, Senate Appropriations Commit… | KED STRATEGIES, LLC | 4 | 33 | 2023–2024 |
| KEVIN KELLEY | Communications Director of Senator Susan Collins; Staff Director for the US Sena… | KED STRATEGIES, LLC | 3 | 33 | 2023–2025 |
| MICHAEL BOPP | Associate Dir. at OMB; Staff dir. & Chief Counsel, Sen. Homeland Security & Gov.… | GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP | 2 | 5 | 2023–2025 |
| MEREDITH COOLIDGE | Intern, Office of Senator Susan Collins | STEPTOE LLP | 2 | 3 | 2023–2023 |
| DARCI GREENACRE | Director of Scheduling, Senator Susan Collins; Lobbyist | DRUMMOND WOODSUM STRATEGIC CONSULTING LLC | 2 | 4 | 2023–2025 |
| ERICA FITZGERALD | Dep. Chief of Staff, LD - Rep. Spartz (IN); LD - Rep. Van Duyne (TX); Dep. Parli… | SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC | 1 | 9 | 2024–2025 |
| MORGAN CASHWELL | Legislative Aide for Senator Collins, 2010-2013; Legislative Assistant for Congr… | THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | 1 | 1 | 2023–2023 |
| JONATHAN FERRO | Deputy General Counsel, Committee on Homeland Security. Deputy Chief of Staff/Le… | AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC | 1 | 1 | 2023–2023 |
| ALLISON FEIKES | Legislative Assistant, Sen. Susan Collins; Legislative Assistant, Sen Mike Braun… | FGS GLOBAL (US) LLC (FKA FGH HOLDINGS LLC) | 1 | 2 | 2025–2025 |
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Susan M. Collins ranks among the most exposed members of this Congress — the top tier on the index. The markers run across several of the twelve categories for the same funding network: contributions, outside spending, lobbying inside the policy areas this member regulates, vote alignment, and contribution timing among them. The score measures financial exposure in the public record; it is not a finding of intent or wrongdoing.
Data: FEC (Federal Election Commission) filings · 118th–119th Congress · lobbying disclosures · VoteView recorded votes
All findings derived programmatically from public records · No prior knowledge required
All findings derived programmatically from public records · No prior knowledge required