Democrat Troy Jackson Wins Maine Senate Seat From Susan Collins
Democrat Troy Jackson has won Maine's U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Susan Collins in the 2026 midterm elections. NPR reported that the Associated Press had called the race for Jackson.
Collins conceded before that call was made, according to Maine Public. With about two-thirds of precincts reporting, Jackson led her by more than 5 percentage points.
Collins had served in the Senate since 1997 and completed five terms. She chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles federal spending bills. She was the only Republican senator running for reelection in 2026 in a state that Donald Trump lost in 2024, and she was the last Republican senator representing New England, according to The Guardian and Yahoo News.
Jackson, 58, is a former president of the Maine state Senate who has also worked as a lumberjack. He became the Democratic nominee in July, after Graham Platner, an oysterman and former Marine, dropped out of the race. Platner denied an allegation of sexual assault and rape made during his Senate campaign. Maine Democrats then held a special convention to choose a replacement, and Jackson won it, leaving him 101 days to run for the Senate.
The campaign grew heated at times. During the final Senate debate, Jackson told Collins to "shut up," and he later said he did not regret the remark. Collins distanced herself from a radio ad aimed at Jackson and called for it to be taken down, the Associated Press reported.
