Rep. Tom Allen (D) was endorsed by the Maine Education Association in his race against Sen. Susan Collins (R).

Collins, now running for her third term in the Senate, is leading Allen by double digits in most publicly released polls.

“It is time for a change in policy toward our public schools, and Tom Allen is best suited to work for that change in the United States Senate representing Maine,” MEA President Chris Galgay said.

Allen’s campaign said in a news release that the endorsement was based on voting records and interviews with MEA, which represents 25,000 members in the state, and the National Education Association agreed with the decision.

However, Collins campaign was quick to responding a news release that she has received NEA’s highest rating, an “A,” for what her campaign called “strong support of public education and educators.”