Susan Collins reveals ‘benign essential tremor,’ says it hasn’t affected her job or how she feels

Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, this week revealed a nervous system condition she says she has suffered for decades, but is not considered dangerous or an inability to do her job.

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Collins, who sometimes has visible tremors in her hands and head, told NBC affiliate WCSH in Maine on Wednesday that she suffered from “an extremely common condition called benign essential tremor” during her nearly 30 years in Congress.

“I’ve had it the entire time I’ve served in the United States Senate,” said Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or how I feel every day.”

Collins, 73, added that the shaking is “sometimes annoying, but that’s all.”

Benign essential tremor can occur at any age, but it is most common in people over 40, according to the Mayo Clinic. Tremors may get worse over time, but they are not life-threatening or cause other health problems.

“If you talk to anyone in Washington, they’ll tell you I’m the hardest-working person they’ve ever worked with, and the fact is I’ve never missed a single vote in all the time I’ve had the honor of representing the people of Maine,” Collins told WCSH. “I think that’s pretty good proof that I’m in excellent health.”

Collins’ office said in a January press release that she never missed a vote as a senator, posting a streak of nearly 10,000 consecutive votes that her office said was the second longest in Senate history.

She is seeking a sixth term in the Senate and is expected to face Democrat Graham Platner, 41, in the fall after Gov. Janet Mills, 78, dropped out of the Democratic primary last week.

Platner, a combat veteran, opened up about his health in an interview with WCSH in October.

“I have a few herniated discs. My shoulder is ruined. My knees are bothering me. The VA is giving me physical therapy for those things. I’ve also been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Platner, who has a 100 percent disability rating from the Veterans Administration.

He told WCSH in November that his disability rating would not affect his ability to serve as senator.

The general election is expected to be among the most contentious of this year’s midterms. Collins was last re-elected in 2020 with 51% of the vote, beating her Democratic opponent by nearly 9 percentage points.