Bangor Daily News Exposes How Collins’ Campaign Is Powered By Billionaires and Other Dark Money Groups

Andy O’Brien

02 Nov, 2026

A recent Bangor Daily Newsrevealed how Senator Susan Collins’ campaign is primarily powered by dark money groups financed by billionaires. According to the report, the $126 million in dark money spending on Collins behalf is backed by some of President Trump’s most infamous billionaire allies, including Elon Musk, private equity CEO Stephen Schwarzman, and Federalist Society Co-Chairman Leonard Leo.

The BDN also nearly $30 million of this spending has been overseen by Scott Reed, the man who allegedly helped Navatek CEO Martin Kao illegally funnel $150,000 into a pro-Collins’ super PAC back in 2019. Nearly 100 billionaires and spouses gave $9.8 million to Collins’ campaign and other groups working on her behalf from January 2025 through May, The Maine Monitor found.