Phillip Rench, a former senior engineer for SpaceX, has announced his candidacy for the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Maine against Republican incumbent Susan Collins. Rench, who is running as an independent, is a board member of the Maine Space Corp. and owns Ossipee Hill Farm and Observatory with his wife. Rench worked at SpaceX in South Texas for five years and later became the site director of the Starship Program in Boca Chica. He joined the Maine Space Corp. board in 2023 after being nominated by Gov. Janet Mills.
Collins, seeking her sixth term, is expected to face a tough re-election campaign, especially with the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House. Despite her previous support for Trump’s controversial cabinet nominees, Collins has distanced herself from the former president, even writing in Nikki Haley for president in the last election. Collins narrowly won her last re-election in 2020, despite being down in polls due to backlash over her pivotal vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
As the first challenger to enter the race, Rench will need to overcome Collins’ fundraising advantage, which currently stands at nearly $2.7 million. Other potential candidates, such as Gov. Janet Mills, have not ruled out joining the race. The 2026 Senate race in Maine is expected to be highly competitive, with Rench aiming to bring his experience in the aerospace industry and passion for agriculture to the forefront of his campaign.
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