Maine has a strong tradition of “punching above its weight” in the United States Senate. The lineage is remarkable – Margaret Chase Smith, Ed Muskie, Bill Cohen, George Mitchell and Olympia Snowe – all people who represented our state with dignity and became known nationally because of their common sense values and commitment to doing what was right.

Mainers can take immense pride in someone who fits solidly within that tradition – our senator, Susan Collins.

I first met Collins during my first term in the Maine Legislature in the early 1990s. She was commissioner of Financial and Professional Regulation in Gov. John McKernan’s cabinet during a horribly difficult time in our state’s governance. With a government shutdown over a broken workers compensation system, Collins helped broker the agreements necessary to repair workers comp and get government re-opened. She exercised then the same steady, thoughtful and effective leadership for which she is respected nationally today.

Collins works for Maine because she embodies Maine values. She grew up in a middle-class family in Aroostook County. Just like the other County kids, she picked potatoes to earn spending money.

Today, her brothers still run a small, family business that has been in operation for five generations. She has been a long-time advocate for Maine’s family businesses, both as the northeast regional director of the Small Business Administration and as the director of the Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson University. Because of these experiences, Collins has a first-hand understanding of how jobs are created in our economy.

She understands that no party holds a monopoly on good ideas. She is always reaching across the political aisle, seeking good ideas and is willing to work with anyone to move our country forward.

The facts show that Collins is the most moderate member of the Senate. And she has gained the respect and support of advocacy groups that don’t traditionally agree with each other. She has earned the endorsement of all four labor unions at Bath Iron Works, as well as the endorsements of both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Independent Sen. Angus King has also thrown his support behind Collins, calling her a “model senator.”

Contrast this with Collins’ opponent: Last week, the New York Times’ “Upshot” blog reported Shenna Bellows was ranked the most far-left Senate candidate in the nation. In fact, Bellows was ranked farther from the center than any Senate candidate on either side of the aisle.

Now out-of-state, left-wing groups allied with Bellows have started spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, making false claims about Collins that have already been debunked. And Bellows herself has joined the chorus, running her own negative ads against Sen. Collins. These tactics are typical of campaigns that are floundering. She is even struggling to gain the support of traditional Democratic advocacy groups.

Meanwhile, Collins continues to work to bring both sides together to address the biggest problems of the day.

That pragmatic approach to legislating and building coalitions — along with the independent thinking that Mainers are known so well for — is what makes Collins so valuable.

Last fall, when the federal government shut down because of political bickering, while everyone else withdrew to their partisan corners, Collins was the first to stand up and say enough is enough. She brought together a bipartisan group of senators known as the “Common Sense Coalition” and presented a compromise plan that became the framework for reopening the government. For this, Collins has been recognized nationwide, and was named by Elle magazine as one of Washington’s most powerful women.

That is the kind of leadership the people of Maine expect from their elected officials.

And her work ethic has become legendary. During her nearly 18 years serving Maine in the Senate, she has never missed a roll call vote. She has cast more than 5,600 consecutive votes on behalf of the people of Maine. This is a remarkable reflection of the focus and commitment Collins has become known for.

There is a reason why poll after poll shows that Collins is one of the most popular senators in the country. She listens to people, she works across the aisle, she produces results, and she never forgets where she comes from.

In Collins we have a senator who embodies Maine values and the tradition of great Maine senators. In these tumultuous times, Maine, and America, needs Susan Collins representing us in the United States Senate.

Richard A. Bennett is chairman of the Maine Republican Party. He can be reached at [email protected].