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US Politics

Maine votes in Senate race between Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson

Collins, 73, seeks a sixth term, and a ranked count could delay the winner if no candidate reaches 50% of the vote, AP reports.

4 news outlets reported this
Liberal2 outletsDemocrats' bid to unseat longtime incumbent CollinsCenter1 outletCollins's independence versus Jackson's rushed Democratic campaignConservative1 outletJackson's late start and the Platner scandal
Published 3 min read
Overview

Maine voted Tuesday in a US race between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson. Collins, 73, was first elected in 1996 and is seeking a sixth term. Jackson, 58, is a former state Senate president and a fifth-generation logger.

He became the Democratic nominee in July after Graham Platner dropped out following allegations of sexual misconduct, which Platner denied. AP reports that Democrats see the race as a top chance to flip a Republican-held seat, and that Jackson is trying to help his party take control of the Senate. Maine has supported Democrats for president since 1992, and AP describes President Trump as deeply unpopular.

Collins has stressed her independence from Trump, saying in a debate that she is "not exactly his favorite senator." Jackson and other Democrats portray her as beholden to him. The ballot lists only Collins and Jackson.

Under Maine's voting, a ranked count would follow if write-in candidates keep either of them under 50%, and a winner could take a few days or longer to emerge. Before the vote, the Daily Mail described the race as too close to call.

Key figures
  • 50% share of the vote a candidate needs to avoid a ranked count — The Seattle Times
  • 95 percent share of the time Collins backed Trump's policies in 2025, per CQ Roll Call analysis — Daily Mail
  • four debates debates Collins agreed to with Jackson — Daily Mail

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

Democrats' bid to unseat longtime incumbent Collins

ABC News has correspondent Will Reeve reporting from Maine on Election Day, with Democrats trying to unseat Collins, the longtime Republican incumbent. PBS NewsHour runs a live results page for the Maine Senate election, which it describes as a contest between Collins and Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson.

Center1 outlet

Collins's independence versus Jackson's rushed Democratic campaign

The Seattle Times carries an Associated Press report that opens on Collins, "a moderate who is no stranger to difficult reelection campaigns," seeking a sixth term while Jackson tries to help Democrats take the Senate. It recounts how Jackson became nominee at an emergency convention in July after Graham Platner dropped out, following a turbulent . The report sets the two pitches side by side.

Collins stresses what she delivers for Maine, including chairing the Appropriations Committee, and distances herself from Trump. Jackson says she is "like an arsonist who helps set the fire" and cites her Kavanaugh vote. Her campaign, the report notes, criticized him for telling her to "shut up" in a debate.

It also explains that Maine's ranked choice voting could mean a few days or longer before a winner is known.

Conservative1 outlet

Jackson's late start and the Platner scandal

The Daily Mail headlines its piece on the "unmaking of the blue tsunami," arguing the Democrats' handling of a sex abuse scandal could end their Senate hopes. It opens with James Cox, a 38-year-old Bangor voter who has backed Collins several times and says Jackson is unfamiliar. The paper says the half dozen Bangor residents it interviewed leaned toward Collins, while coastal Bar Harbor voters showed more interest in Democrats.

It quotes University of Southern Maine professor Ronald Schmidt saying Jackson's slow start "definitely did hurt," though he still has a "decent chance." It notes CQ Roll Call found Collins backed Trump's policies 95 percent of the time in 2025, and that her campaign says her split vote on the tax bill shows independence. It calls the race too close to call.

All sources: 4 articles from 4 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (1)

Conservative (1)

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Senate

The upper chamber of Congress: 100 senators, two per state, elected for six years. It confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties.

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Ranked-choice voting

Voters rank the candidates. If no one gets more than half, the last one is dropped and those votes go to each voter's next choice, until someone passes half.

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Primary election

A vote inside a party to choose its candidate for the general election.

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