Two days before Maine votes, Republican Senator Collins accuses Schumer of 'outright lies' in attack ads as poll shows 49-49 tie

Just two days before Election Day in Maine, Republican Senator Susan Collins has accused Democrats of running false attack ads against her. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, she said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party were targeting her and other Republican candidates with a wave of ads filled with falsehoods, saying she has never seen a campaign with 'so many outright lies.'

Collins is seeking reelection in Maine, where her Democratic rival is Troy Jackson. According to the latest Fox News poll, the two candidates are tied at 49 percent each. Her accusations came in the middle of that closely watched, deadlocked race.

Collins accused Democrats of following 'Chuck Schumer's playbook.' She said one outrageous, completely false ad against her had to do with Jeffrey Epstein, and that in talking to two of her colleagues who are in tough races, she found virtually identical ads had been run against them. In her words, this is part of Schumer's playbook.

She added: 'There are a lot of differences between my opponent and me, but I've never seen a campaign with so many outright lies. It's very frustrating.' Collins accused her opponent, Schumer and their allies of trying to shift the focus away from local issues and nationalize the race into a divisive national political battle.

Turning to her own campaign, Collins portrayed herself as a bipartisan lawmaker willing to work across party lines. She said the Senate needs more centrists, because many moderates have given up and retired or decided not to run again. 'And that's one reason I am running again,' she said. 'We need more people who are willing to work across party lines. That is really important.'

Collins also described herself as the 'most independent senator on either side of the aisle.' She called a circulating figure on her voting record with President Donald Trump 'phony,' saying the claim that she voted with Trump 95 percent of the time is based on a sample of only 30 percent of the votes. Looking at a broader sample of 90 percent of the votes, she said, that figure drops significantly to about 72 percent, and she voted against the president's policies 138 times.

Her rival Troy Jackson previously told Fox News that he believes he has a 'good shot' at defeating Collins. Collins, however, touted strong voter support and said she is more optimistic than ever about her reelection chances, based on the response she gets visiting communities all over the state.