Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby announced Monday that she won't seek reelection but will, instead, work closely with a national group backing Sen. Susan Collins next year.
Libby, R-Auburn, garnered national media exposure this year after bringing Maine's policies on transgender athletes to the attention of the Trump White House through a controversial post on social media.
A prolific fundraiser, Libby is often mentioned as a possible candidate for higher office. But Libby said Monday that rather than running again for her Auburn seat or any other political office next year, she will launch two groups focused on electing conservatives.
One of those groups, the Lead Maine Committee, will partner with Sentinel Action Fund, a conservative super PAC that plans to spend more than $4 million backing Collins next year. Libby and Sentinel Action Fund leaders announced the partnership on Monday.
"I think it's an indicator of how incredibly important that seat is and how critical it is that Sen. Collins is re-elected," Libby said in an interview. "We have to maintain the Republican majority in the Senate and Sen. Collins' seat is key to that. And that level of investment indicates that Sen. Collins supporters understand that and are invested in getting her reelected."
The Sentinel Action Fund's announcement is the latest indication that Maine's Senate race will be a prime target for groups from both sides of the political aisle. Collins is the only Republican up for reelection in a state that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year's presidential election.
Total spending by candidates, national parties and outside groups topped $200 million during Collins' last campaign in 2020 when she defeated former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon by 9 percentage points. It's expected that next year's race could easily break that record, however.
The two Democrats in the Senate race who are receiving the most attention are Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner, an oysterman and Marine Corps veteran from Hancock County.
"Laurel’s grassroots experience and leadership in the state will make her an invaluable partner to our efforts to turn out voters early and on Election Day," Jessica Anderson, president of the DC-based Sentinel Action Fund, said in a statement. "This partnership and investment come ahead of a pivotal midterm election cycle. Maine’s Senate seat will play a critical role in securing and expanding the Republican Senate majority and protecting it is an essential step toward achieving a 60-seat majority."
Collins' campaign had no comment on Sentinel Action Fund's announcement because super PACs are required to operate separately from candidate campaigns.
Super PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums to support or defeat candidates, although they are prohibited by law from coordinating with any candidate's campaign. Maine voters passed a first-in-the-nation law to cap contributions to super PACs at $5,000. But enforcement of the cap has been put on hold while two groups that Libby formerly helped to lead, Dinner Table Action and For Our Future, challenge the law in court.
In addition to the super PAC Lead Maine Committee, Libby said she plans to launch a state PAC called Lead Maine Action as well as a nonprofit under the 501 (c) 4 designation, which are social welfare organizations that can under the federal designation.
On Monday, Libby said she plans to work with other organizations on a shared goal of "long-term societal and electoral change and that we have conservative leadership running this state instead of the current Democratic trifecta."
Libby helped to spark this year's battle between the Mills administration and the White House in February with a post on Facebook naming and showing the picture of a transgender athlete who had won a girls' high school track championship. The post went viral and eventually led to the infamous encountering the White House when Mills replied "See you in court" after Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine.
Democrats in the Maine House accused Libby of endangering the welfare of a minor for political purposes and formally censured her, which meant she could not vote or participate in floor debates until she apologized. But Libby refused and challenged the restrictions in court. The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily restored her ability to vote and the House lifted the speaking ban on the final day of the 2025 legislative session.
