Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she is running for 5th term in office

Maine Sen. Susan Collins is running for a fifth term in Washington. The Republican made the announcement Wednesday morning in an email to supporters.

Collins, 67, was first elected to the Senate in 1996 when she replaced William Cohen, another moderate Republican.

For weeks, Collins has promised to announce a decision about her campaign this fall. Winter doesn't officially start until Saturday.

Even though she hadn't officially announced a re-election campaign until now, she has been raising money.

As of Sept. 30, she had banked $7 million in campaign cash, a record for Maine.

She will face a challenger in the general election. State House Speaker Sara Gideon and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Betsy Sweet are both running for the Democratic nomination. National Democrats have made Collins' seat a top target for the 2020 elections.

Collins won a fourth term in the Senate in 2014, winning 67% of the vote.

Collins has been a critic of President Donald Trump, often calling his comments inappropriate.

Collins has not commended on the impeachment inquiry, saying she will serve as a juror in the Senate trial.

Earlier this fall, Collins said it was "not OK" for a president to encourage a foreign state to investigate a political rival. She made the comment not about Ukraine, but after the president asked publicly China to investigate the Bidens.