Please enjoy this month’s BRAVE Interview with Senator Susan Collins!

Public service is in my DNA.

Five generations of the Collins family have served in the Maine State Legislature.  Both of my parents served as mayor of my hometown of Caribou.  My father, a decorated World War II veteran, also served one term in the Maine House and four terms in the state Senate, and my mother has served on countless boards and commissions, always rising to leadership positions.

I had great role models at home who always taught me that I did not have the right to complain if I sat on the sidelines and did not get involved.

One specific experience that led me to follow in their footsteps occurred when I was a senior in high school and was chosen to participate in the U.S. Senate Youth Program.  The highlight of my trip to Washington was meeting Maine’s Senator Margaret Chase Smith – the first woman elected to both the House and the Senate, and the first woman to have her name entered into nomination for President by a major party.  Her courageous “Declaration of Conscience” speech took a stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy. Her integrity, determination, and bravery continue to inspire me today.

In 1994, after serving for 12 years on the staff of Bill Cohen in the House and Senate, in the cabinet of Maine’s governor, and as head of the New England office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, I sought to become Maine’s first woman governor.  I won a grueling eight-way primary to win the Republican nomination, but lost in the general election, finishing third out of four candidates.  I had used all of my savings and was broke and uninsured by the end of that campaign.  But I learned a great deal from the experience and met wonderful people from all over the State.

I went on to become the founding Executive Director of the Center for Family Business at what was then Husson College in Bangor.  In early 1996, Senator Cohen announced he would not seek re-election.  My phone began ringing off the hook with calls from supporters urging me to run.  I’ll never forget the woman who told me she hadn’t voted for me in ’94 but wanted another chance because I’d been such a “gracious loser.”

Part of me thought I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t afford it, and I couldn’t keep starting over. The other part said I couldn’t see myself at 85, sitting in my rocking chair by the fire, muttering “If only…”

Happily, that part of me prevailed, and I achieved my dream of serving the State of Maine in elected office.

My advice to others is this: If something inspires you to run for political office, listen.

The worst that will happen is that you’ll lose but still learn a lot from the experience, which sure beats muttering “if only” to yourself.  Maybe you’ll win, if not the first time, then another time, and then you will have the extraordinary opportunity to serve and make a difference.

Click here to read Margaret Chase Smith’s “Declaration of Conscience”

Follow Senator Susan Collins on Facebook: U.S. Senator Susan Collins and go to her website here: Senator Susan Collins

Read the other BRAVE Interviews: The BRAVE Interviews

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR THIS SERIES ABOUT SOMETHING BRAVE YOU HAVE DONE IN YOUR OWN LIFE, SEND ME AN EMAIL HERE: karen@karencreamer.com