‘Blood on her hands’: Susan Collins’ Maine office vandalized with red paint on election eve

BIDDEFORD, MAINE: A Maine senator's local office became the scene of another confrontation just hours before Americans went to the polls.

This time, the message left outside the building was written in red paint and directed squarely at her.

The incident involving Senator Susan Collins came amid months of tension over immigration enforcement in Biddeford, where a fatal shooting involving an ICE officer had triggered demonstrations and drawn protesters to her office.

Susan Collins' office vandalized

The words outside Collins' Biddeford office were difficult to miss. Someone had poured red paint onto the sidewalk in front of the building and left an accusation on the pavement: “blood on her hands.”

The incident happened on Monday night, November 2, making it the second time in approximately a little over a month that the Maine Republican's office had been vandalized.

The latest episode also followed an earlier demonstration in which protesters entered the premises and demanded that Collins be voted out.

For the senator's staff, the repeated targeting has become a matter of concern.

Her chief of staff, Katie Brown, reportedly said the incidents were intended to intimidate Collins and the people working at the Biddeford location.

Brown also said the latest episode would not stop employees from carrying out their responsibilities. She described the conduct as disturbing but said the staff remained committed to their work.

The Biddeford Police Department is investigating the damage, Collins' campaign confirmed.

Speaking to the media later, Collins called the incident “unacceptable.”

Immigration dispute behind protests

The location of the office has particular significance because of the controversy surrounding a July shooting in Biddeford.

An ICE officer shot and killed Johan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old Colombian national, in an incident that subsequently prompted protests in the city.

Collins' office became one of the places where demonstrators directed their anger.

In the days following Guerrero's death, protesters entered the building while chanting slogans demanding that the senator lose her seat.

The September vandalism brought another round of attention to the office. An expletive-laden message was spray-painted on its entrance, prompting Collins' Democratic challenger, former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson, to publicly condemn the act.

Jackson said political disagreements should not result in damage to a senator's workplace or interfere with employees doing their jobs.

The latest incident has renewed questions about the safety of political offices amid heated disagreements over federal immigration operations.