The former SpaceX engineer who recently announced his intention to run as an unaffiliated candidate against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins may be more aligned with far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) than SpaceX founder Elon Musk if his political contributions are any indication.

According to Federal Election Commission Records, Phillip P. Rench, 37, of Waterboro has made just five small political contributions — but all have gone to left-wing Democratic officeholders or committees, including Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.), and former Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.

The contributions were made through ActBlue, a massive online donation service that facilitates the easy flow of money from donors to Democratic candidates.

When Rench initial declared that he would run as an unaffiliated candidate, his prior employment at Musk’s legendary rocket company fueled speculation that perhaps he would challenge Collins from the political right with the blessing of Republican President Donald Trump’s on-the-spectrum D.O.G.E. Rasputin.

However, Musk publicly opposed Harris’s presidential bid and has feuded with the New York congresswoman ever since she became a viral sensation on the social media platform Musk now owns, formerly Twitter, now X.com.

Although Rench’s donations to AOC, Hill, and Harris don’t amount to big money, they do amount to the only window into Rench’s potential political leanings given his lack of a public track record.

Closer to home, Rench has at least a friendly relationship with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who tapped him to serve on the board of the Maine Space Corporation in May 2023.

During her five previous general election wins, Sen. Collins has faced a few quixotic independents challenging her from the right.

In 1996, she defeated Democrat Joe Brennan for the seat while fending off William Clarke of the Taxpayers Party, who earned 3.1 percent of the general election vote.

In 2020, the late Max Linn, running as an unaffiliated right-wing candidate, swiped 1.6 percent of the tally as Collins defeated former House Speaker Sara Gideon, 51 percent to 42.4 percent.

Historically, independent challengers looking to upset the two-party system in Maine have been left wing candidates, including Lisa Savage, who garnered 5 percent of the general election vote in 2020.