Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) publicly disclosed for the first time Wednesday that she has lived for decades with a benign essential tremor, a common nervous-system condition that causes involuntary shaking, and insisted it has had no effect on her ability to serve in the United States Senate.
Collins, 73, made the disclosure as she heads into what promises to be a competitive 2026 reelection fight for a sixth term. The announcement came after public speculation about her appearance in recent videos, AP News reported, and amid what Collins herself described as "cruel comments online."
The senator told News Center Maine she has had the condition for her entire nearly 30-year Senate career, since she was first elected in 1996, and that it affects her hands, head, and voice. She told the New York Post the tremor has had "zero impact" on her "ability to function."
Collins did not hedge. She pointed to one of the most concrete measures of Senate engagement available: her voting record. She said she has never missed a single Senate floor vote during her time in office, a streak now approaching 10,000 consecutive votes.
"If you talk to anybody in Washington, they will tell you that I am the hardest-working person that they have ever worked with, and the fact is I've never missed a single vote in all the time that I've been honored to represent the people of Maine."
That is not an idle boast. Nearly 10,000 consecutive votes over nearly three decades speaks for itself. Collins added that she considers the record "pretty good evidence of the fact that I am blessed with great health."
In a statement to the Associated Press, Collins addressed the online chatter directly. "The tremor is occasionally inconvenient, and sometimes the subject of cruel comments online, but it does not hinder my ability to work and, as I said, is something that I have lived with for decades," she said.
The Washington Examiner reported that Collins also said she manages the condition with medication.
Essential tremor is not Parkinson's disease. It is not Alzheimer's. And it is not associated with cognitive decline. Those are distinctions that matter in a political environment where health questions about aging officeholders carry enormous weight.
The Mayo Clinic describes essential tremor as a nervous-system condition that causes rhythmic, uncontrollable shaking, most often in the hands. It is generally not dangerous, though it can worsen over time and become severe in some cases. There is no known way to prevent it.
Dr. Rees Cosgrove, chief of the Division of Functional Neurosurgery at Mass General Brigham in Boston, said essential tremor affects about 5 percent of adults over 40 and roughly 20 percent of people over 65. Newsmax noted that medical experts told News Center Maine the disorder should not be confused with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's and is not linked to cognitive decline.
That medical context is worth emphasizing. The country spent years watching questions about political figures confronting serious health challenges while their allies downplayed or concealed the truth. Collins chose a different path, she disclosed the condition herself and backed up her claim of fitness with a record no one in the Senate can match.
Collins announced her reelection bid in February with a campaign video in which she opened a new box of sneakers, a lighthearted touch that carried a clear message. "This is perfect for 2026," she said in the video. "Because I'm running!"
She is the longest-serving member of Congress from Maine and the longest-serving Republican woman currently in the Senate. Those are titles earned over decades, not handed out. But longevity invites scrutiny, and Collins' age will inevitably be part of the conversation in a race against a much younger opponent.
Her Democratic challenger is Graham Platner, 41, whom some have described as a left-wing populist. Platner has faced his own questions about health on the campaign trail. He has said he suffers from PTSD and combat-related injuries after serving four tours overseas.
Last month, the New York Post exclusively reported that Platner once defended a Marine who urinated on a dead Taliban fighter. How voters in Maine weigh that revelation against Collins' tremor disclosure will say something about the character of the race ahead.
Collins has long been one of the Senate's most closely watched members, sometimes breaking with her party on high-profile matters. Her independent streak has made her a target for the left and occasionally for the right. But her voting attendance record is a fact that cuts through partisan spin.
The broader context here matters. Americans have grown weary of watching politicians and their staffs hide the truth about health and fitness for office. The debacle surrounding President Biden's cognitive decline, denied for years by aides, allies, and friendly media outlets until it became undeniable, left a deep mark on public trust.
Just The News reported that Collins' age and health may become a bigger issue in the 2026 race. That is fair. Voters have every right to ask hard questions about whether their representatives are fit to serve. What matters is how those questions are answered.
Collins answered them head-on. She named the condition. She described its effects. She pointed to her record. She said she treats it with medication. She did not wait for a leaked medical report or a viral video to force the issue. She got ahead of it.
That is how it should work. Public servants owe the public honest answers about their fitness. Collins delivered one. Whether voters find it sufficient is their call, but the standard she set is the right one.
The health disclosures of prominent Republican figures have drawn attention in recent months, and each case reinforces the same lesson: candor earns respect, concealment destroys it.
Several questions linger. Collins did not provide a specific date for her original diagnosis or release detailed medical records. No physician statement specific to Collins appeared in the public disclosure. Whether the campaign releases further documentation as the race heats up remains an open question.
The political dynamics in Maine will also test whether Collins' opponent and his allies try to weaponize the tremor or respect the medical facts. Essential tremor is common, well understood, and not cognitively debilitating. Using it as a political cudgel would say far more about the attacker than the target.
Collins, for her part, seemed unbothered. She called the condition "inconvenient at times, but that's all." Nearly 10,000 consecutive votes suggest she means it.
In a town where too many politicians hide behind handlers and carefully managed appearances, a senator who walks into the spotlight and tells the truth about her own health deserves at least one thing the capital is short on: a straight answer taken at face value until the record says otherwise. Collins' record says plenty.
