A private equity boss who gave millions to back Susan Collins also won a big tax break from a bill she voted for — bad news for Maine voters and for trust in Congress.

• Marc Rowan, who runs Apollo Global Management, put $2 million into a group supporting Collins.
• Collins backed the big tax-and-spending bill that extended tax breaks for private equity firms like his — worth far more to him than what he gave.
• In 2020 she pushed an amendment Rowan opposed, then killed her own amendment after his money came in.
• Apollo bought a Maine paper mill, ran it into the ground, and cut more than a thousand jobs in Bucksport and Jay; the sites are slated to become data centers.
• Big outlets keep calling Collins a moderate and stay quiet on the money trail, the lost jobs, and Apollo's Jeffrey Epstein links.

Outlook: Expect the money question to shadow Collins' next reelection fight in Maine even if national coverage keeps ignoring it.