Maine Midterm Senate Race Tests Susan Collins Against Troy Jackson
Ballot boxes opened across Maine for a fiercely contested midterm Senate election that pits incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins against Democratic former state Senate President Troy Jackson, as reported by PBS News. Collins, first elected in 1996, is seeking a sixth term.
Collins remains the only Republican senator from a state Vice President Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election. During the 2020 cycle, polls showed her losing, yet she ultimately won by nine points.
Oyster farmer Graham Platner captured the Democratic primary by a landslide margin in June. Just a month later, however, Platner exited the race following the emergence of sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.
A subsequent party convention selected Jackson, a former logger whose campaign has centered on working-class economics.
A Competitive Blueprint and Ranked-Choice Dynamics
While the state typically votes blue statewide, national strategists have consistently viewed this Senate seat as a target for a potential Democratic pickup. At the same time, Republicans see a parallel opening in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District following the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jared Golden in a district President Trump won three times.
Voters casting their ballots today must also account for Maine’s electoral mechanics. The state uses ranked choice voting for general elections, a system that allows citizens to rank candidates in order of preference and can significantly alter outcomes if no candidate captures an immediate majority on the initial tally.
As election night coverage unfolds, local election officials continue processing the remaining votes across hundreds of townships and municipalities statewide, leaving the final margin of victory dependent on how second- and third-preference choices distribute once initial tallies are complete.
Earlier coverage: Susan Collins and Troy Jackson make final appeals in Maine Senate race
