politics
Maine Sen. Susan Collins Discloses Longstanding Benign Essential Tremor
The 73-year-old Republican senator from Maine revealed she has had a benign essential tremor for decades that causes shaking in her head and hands. She said the condition has no impact on her ability to serve and that she has never missed a Senate vote. The disclosure follows social media videos and questions about her fitness as she seeks a sixth term in a competitive race.
May 6, 9:57 PM·1m read4 sources
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The Boston GlobeAudio version
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Susan Collins, the 73-year-old Republican senator from Maine, said in statements released Wednesday that she has had a benign essential tremor for decades. ” She has lived with the tremor for her entire time in the Senate and treats it with medication.
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Collins first addressed the tremor in an interview broadcast Wednesday night and provided a statement to The Boston Globe. The disclosure was initially reported by the Maine television station WCSH. She told News Center Maine that she has never missed a single vote during her time representing the state and broke the Senate record last fall for the most consecutive votes cast.
A doctor unaffiliated with any campaign told a Maine television station that about 5 percent of people over 40 have the condition. The doctor said it does not lead to Parkinson’s disease or any other serious neurological issue. The condition affects the nervous system and causes involuntary trembling in the hands, forearms, head and other areas.
It can be managed with medication, lifestyle changes, medical devices or ultrasound treatments.
Videos showing moments of shaking, including in a reelection campaign launch video, had circulated on social media. Collins noted that the videos prompted cruel online comments. Her disclosure coincides with the start of her reelection campaign for a sixth term.
Her likely opponent is a 41-year-old Democrat who has disclosed his own full disability and PTSD from military service in the Middle East and has stated that those conditions do not affect his ability to serve.
Similar questions have been raised about President Trump during his current term. Historically, benign medical conditions have rarely become campaign issues. Coverage of Collins’s statement spread to national outlets including The New York Times and the Washington Examiner.
