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Maine Rep. Laurel Libby Exits 2026 Race, Launches Lead Maine With $4 Million-Plus Push for Collins

The move shifts her focus to a Sentinel-backed ground game with more than $4 million for Susan Collins' 2026 bid.

Overview

  • Libby announced she will not seek re-election and is forming Lead Maine, a network featuring a 501(c)(4), a state PAC and a federal super PAC called the Lead Maine Committee.
  • The Lead Maine Committee is partnering with the Sentinel Action Fund, which endorsed Sen. Susan Collins and disclosed an investment exceeding $4 million to support her 2026 campaign.
  • Sentinel Action Fund leaders said the partnership will build an early, sustained voter contact and get-out-the-vote operation across Maine.
  • Libby’s shift follows the Nov. 4 defeat of a voter ID referendum she supported and closes the door, for now, on speculation about a future run for higher office.
  • Her rising profile this year included a House censure over a post identifying a transgender student and a subsequent restoration of her legislative privileges during ongoing litigation.