Troy Jackson Ousts Susan Collins in Maine Senate Race
Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins in Maine on Tuesday, November 3, ending the Republican’s nearly three decades in the Senate. Collins called Jackson shortly after midnight to concede and said she and her staff would help ensure a smooth transition. Jackson said he was ready to work for Maine residents and would remember who he was fighting for.
Jackson, who once led Maine’s upper chamber and comes from five generations of logging in Allagash, campaigned on affordability, health care, workers’ rights and his ties to working-class communities. He argued that Collins’ claims of independence did not match her record and that she had become too closely aligned with President Donald Trump. Democrats also criticized her backing of Trump-supported policies and her decision to approve Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court.
Collins, seeking a sixth term, emphasized her experience, bipartisan reputation and influence as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She pointed to her work on infrastructure, veterans’ issues and federal funding for Maine, while arguing that she had broken with Trump and her party when warranted. Polls in the final weeks showed a close contest, though several had Jackson ahead.
Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner withdrew in July amid controversy, including a sexual assault allegation that he denied. Democrats selected Jackson at a party convention, leaving him just over three months to campaign. His victory gives Democrats a pickup in a closely watched race that had been central to the battle for Senate control.
Maine Voters Reject Collins’ Trump-Era Record
Maine voters sent Susan Collins home after nearly three decades in the Senate, choosing Democrat Troy Jackson in a contest that tested whether her moderate image could withstand her record on Donald Trump’s agenda. Jackson’s victory gives Democrats a key pickup as they seek to shape the Senate’s response to the administration.
Jackson, a past leader of Maine’s Senate and a logger from a fifth-generation family, centered his campaign on affordability, health care and workers’ rights. He argued that Collins’ claims of independence could not make up for votes he said aligned her too closely with Trump. Democrats pointed to her backing of policies supported by Trump and her vote to approve Brett Kavanaugh, who later joined the Supreme Court majority that overturned the federal right to abortion. Collins said she disagreed with that ruling.
Collins called Jackson shortly after midnight to concede. She had campaigned on her seniority, bipartisan record and ability to secure federal resources as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. But Jackson’s win underscores the force of voters’ concerns about the administration and household costs in a state that Trump lost in 2024.
Jackson entered the race after Graham Platner withdrew as the Democratic nominee in July amid controversies, including a sexual assault allegation he denied. Party delegates selected Jackson as his replacement, leaving him just over three months to challenge Collins. Jackson now heads to Washington as a labor-backed politician whose campaign focused on working families and economic concerns.
Collins’ Defeat Ends a Senate Career Built on Maine’s Clout
Susan Collins’ defeat marks the loss of one of the Senate’s most experienced Republican voices—and of a lawmaker who argued that Maine benefited from her seniority and bipartisan reach. Democrat Troy Jackson’s victory flips a Republican-held seat in a race where Collins had made her record of delivering federal resources a central case for reelection.
Collins, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, highlighted her work on infrastructure, veterans’ issues and rural communities. She also argued that she was willing to break with President Donald Trump and her party. The senator called Jackson shortly after midnight to concede and said her staff would help with a smooth transition.
Jackson, a onetime leader of Maine’s Senate and a logger from a fifth-generation family, made affordability, health care and workers’ rights central to his campaign. He attacked Collins as too close to Trump, while Democrats pointed to her votes on Trump-supported policies and her confirmation vote for Brett Kavanaugh. The race thus became a test of Collins’ independence brand against the state’s political lean and opposition to the president.
The Democratic campaign had to change course after Graham Platner withdrew in July amid controversy, including a sexual assault allegation he denied. Party delegates chose Jackson to replace him, leaving a short campaign against a long-serving incumbent. Collins’ loss ends a career that began with her 1996 election and removes a prominent Republican advocate for Maine from the Senate.
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