Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., are among the Senate incumbents most closely watched ahead of the 2026 midterms, and both are betting that an often-overlooked part of the job, constituent service, can matter in tight races.
In interviews with The Washington Post, Collins and Ossoff said they have built office cultures that treat casework as a core responsibility, with staff dedicated to helping residents navigate federal agencies and programs.
The approach, they said, brings voters into direct contact with their senators in a way that committee hearings, floor speeches, and campaign ads do not.
"I know that I have had an impact," Collins said of the work her offices do to help individual Mainers resolve problems with government agencies.
Ossoff said he wants Georgians "to experience a level of responsiveness and accountability and concern that they have never felt before," adding that much of modern politics prioritizes attention over service.
Both senators face competitive contests.
Collins, a longtime incumbent and the only Republican in Maine's congressional delegation, has said she intends to seek a sixth term but has not formally launched a campaign.
She represents a state that has voted for Democrat presidential nominees since 1992, while also drawing criticism from conservatives at home when she breaks with her party and President Donald Trump.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, announced a Senate run in October, and Collins is also facing the prospect of a contested environment shaped by ideological divisions in both parties.
Ossoff, first elected in 2020 and now in his first term, is running in a state that has become one of the country's most competitive battlegrounds.
Trump carried Georgia by about two percentage points in 2024, and Republicans are already signaling they see Ossoff as a top pickup opportunity, with a crowded GOP field taking shape.
Both senators maintain multiple state offices staffed with caseworkers, but they also expect their broader teams, including Washington staff, to assist when needed.
Ossoff said he has borrowed ideas from the private sector to standardize responsiveness, including tracking constituent satisfaction and personally calling some constituents who received help to evaluate the experience.
The political logic is straightforward: effective casework can build goodwill that cuts across party lines, especially in states where elections are frequently decided by narrow margins.
Collins, long known for cultivating a personal brand distinct from national GOP politics, and Ossoff, still developing his statewide profile, each portrayed constituent service as both an ethical obligation and a practical part of representing a diverse electorate.
Republican and Democrat operatives interviewed in the report acknowledged the potential value.
A Georgia Republican strategist praised Ossoff's operation, while a former Maine Democratic Party chair who opposes Collins said her deep network of relationships across the state has been reinforced over time by the volume of help her office has provided.
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