Susan Collins accuses Schumer of pushing attack ads filled with outright lies in tight Maine race

Sen.Susan Collins on Sunday blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party over what she described as a wave of false attack ads targeting her and other Republican candidates, saying she has never seen a campaign with “so many outright lies.”She made the remarks during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, just two days before Election Day in Maine, where she is seeking reelection in a closely watched race against Democratic rival Troy Jackson.

According to the latest Fox News poll, the two candidates are tied at 49%.Collins accused Democrats of following “Chuck Schumer’s playbook,” pointing to attack ads she said were nearly identical to those targeting other Republican lawmakers.“One of the outrageous, completely false ads against me had to do with Jeffrey Epstein.And it turns out, in talking to two of my colleagues who are in tough races, that they had virtually identical ads run against them.

So this is part of Chuck Schumer’s playbook,” she said.“There are a lot of differences between my opponent and me, but I’ve never seen a campaign with so many outright lies.It’s very frustrating,” she added.Collins further accused Democrats of trying to shift the focus away from local issues and toward divisive national political battles.“It’s certainly an attempt by my opponent and Chuck Schumer and their allies to nationalize this race,” she said.Turning to her own campaign, Collins portrayed herself as a bipartisan lawmaker willing to work across party lines, arguing that the Senate needs more centrists as moderates increasingly leave Washington.“Unfortunately, a lot of them have given up and retired or decided they just didn’t want to run again.

And that’s one reason I am running again,” she said.“We need more people who are willing to work across party lines.That is really important,” she said.She also described herself as the “most independent senator on either side of the aisle,” pointing to her...