Susan Collins

Susan Margaret Collins ( born December 7, 1952 in Caribou, Maine) is an American politician of the Republican Party, which represents the state of Maine since January 3, 1997 in the U.S. Senate. She was from January 2003 to January 2007 Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and has been ranking Republican member of this committee.

Life

The Catholic Irish ancestry graduated from St. Lawrence University. She worked from 1975 to 1987 for Senator William Cohen of Maine, until it was chairman of the Commission for financial regulation in their home state. In 1992, she worked in the short term as Regional Director of the New England Small Business Administration. In 1993 she moved to Massachusetts, where they officiated in 1993 as Deputy Minister of Finance.

Policy

Collins returned to Maine in 1994 back. There she stood as a candidate in the same year for the office of governor, but finished behind the winning Angus King, an independent candidate, and the Democrats Joseph Brennan only the third place.

Brennan and Collins met in the Senate election again in 1996. The Republicans Cohen was no longer competed for election and Collins was a 49 % year-on Brennan enforce 44%. In 2002 she defended her seat with 58 % compared to 42 % of the Democrat Chellie Pingree, 2008, she was confirmed by a large margin against Tom Allen for a third term.

Your first high-profile appearance in the Senate had Collins during the impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton: It failed with the proposal to hold separate votes to vote again on whether Clinton was guilty, and a second time to remove him from office. After this plan failed, they voted for acquittal, because they held him guilty of the charges were not weighty enough in their view, to relieve Clinton of the Office.

Collins is considered as a moderate Republican. It belongs to the Republican Main Street Partnership, which promotes a close collaboration with moderate Democrats. It advocates stem cell research and voted against further restrict abortions. She was also, however, introduce a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriages. They also agreed on economic issues frequently with the Democratic minority and against several parts of George W. Bush's tax cut plan; as it was intended to limit oil drilling in Alaska.

In advance of the 2004 presidential election, she was a possible Minister of Internal Security in a cabinet John Kerry in conversation, because it was considered one of the few republicans that would have been acceptable for him and so his claim to represent all Americans, could have symbolize.