Democrat Troy Jackson unseated Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, riding a blue wave to defeat a longtime incumbent in what was expected to be one of the most competitive races of the midterms elections. Maine was viewed as one of Democrats’ top pickup opportunities, as it’s a state that President Donald Trump lost by about 7 percentage points in 2024.
The race was seen as competitive, despite the state’s Democratic lean and difficult national environment for the GOP, due to Collins’ bipartisan image and personal popularity that helped has her win in the state. CNN called the race for Jackson just after 12:15 a.m. ET as he led Collins by about five percent in the critical race, with 68 percent of the vote in.
Collins has conceded the race to Jackson, according to the . The race became one of the most closely watched of the midterms, as polling showed a close contest throughout the campaign. Collins is the only Republican senator in a state Trump lost in 2024, so the race had been expected to be competitive.
Although Maine has leaned toward Democrats in presidential races, it also has a notable independent streak that benefited Collins in the past. Democrats had a tumultuous path to Election Day in Maine, and Jackson was not their original nominee. The party nominated progressive Graham Platner, who aligned himself with left-leaning policies including Medicare for All and criticism of foreign wars, but he faced a number of controversies during the campaign.
Platner faced scrutiny over the revelation that he had a tattoo resembling the Totenkopf, or "death’s head," a symbol adopted by the Nazi SS, for which he apologized and said he was unaware of its meaning, as well as past Reddit posts. He was able to withstand those controversies, winning the primary over Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign on April 30, a little more than five weeks before the June 6 primary. But after the primary, Platner’s campaign was rattled after he faced sexual assault allegations.
He denied any wrongdoing but ultimately dropped out of the race. Under Maine law, Democrats were able to replace Platner as their nominee. During a snap convention, they settled on Jackson, who lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary to Hannah Pingree.
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