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The 2026 Maine Senate race: Troy Jackson vs. Susan Collins

Overview · reviewed November 5, 2026

Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger and Maine Senate president who became the nominee in July, defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's 2026 Senate race; Collins, who had served for nearly 30 years and was seeking a sixth term, conceded just after midnight.[1][2][3] Polls had been close: a New York Times/Siena College poll reported in September put Collins ahead 49% to 46%, and a Fox News poll in late October showed them tied at 49%.[4][5][6] Their October debates included clashes over the Iran war and personal attacks.[7][8]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Polls had been close: a New York Times/Siena College poll reported in September put Collins ahead 49% to 46%, and a Fox News poll in late October showed them tied at 49%.[4][5][6] Their October debates included clashes over the Iran war and personal attacks.[7][8]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Nov 2024: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 3 of 3 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 2% (left under 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center 0%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 8% (left 3%, center 3%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 4% (left 2%, center 1%, right 2%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 7 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (18 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 2, 20262061642 of 4719%
Oct 26, 2026114520 of 4734%
Oct 19, 20262011940 of 4798%
Oct 12, 20261718944 of 4769%
Oct 5, 20261521743 of 4799%
Sep 28, 202643613 of 4763%
Sep 21, 202620201252 of 47911%
Sep 14, 2026210315 of 4803%
Aug 31, 20263003 of 4751%
Aug 24, 202629112 of 4663%
Aug 10, 202624612 of 5452%
Aug 3, 20263238 of 5371%
Jul 27, 2026471223 of 5614%
Jul 20, 20263115 of 5621%
Jul 13, 20268101028 of 5595%
May 4, 202690413 of 1757%
Feb 9, 202636514 of 1808%
Nov 11, 20242136 of 2113%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 2, 2026 · first reported · Headline from News Nation Now

    'Blood on her hands' painted outside Susan Collins' Maine office

Background

Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced her reelection bid in February 2026, with Democrats targeting her Maine seat in their effort to retake the Senate.[3] In May she disclosed a longtime benign essential tremor, which she said does not interfere with her duties.[9]

Read the full background (6 more paragraphs)

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson became the Democratic nominee through a hastily called nominating process in July, and former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed him shortly afterward.[2] A University of New Hampshire poll reported before his nomination showed him narrowly ahead in a hypothetical matchup with Collins.[10] In August, Jackson acknowledged punching a man in 1988 after reporting on a police record surfaced. Jackson and his longtime partner, Lana Pelletier, disputed the allegation that he had pushed her.[11]

Collins's relationship with President Donald Trump has been a campaign issue. An August Fox News poll found voters more concerned about her record of voting with Trump than about Jackson being too progressive.[12] Vice President JD Vance praised Collins during a Maine visit she did not attend; she had criticized the administration's trade fight with Canada.[13] Former Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party, endorsed her in September and campaigned for her in Maine in October.[14][15]

Abortion and immigration enforcement also drew scrutiny. Reproductive Freedom for All endorsed Jackson as he increased his appeals to voters concerned about abortion rights.[16] Some voters linked Collins's 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.[17] In July, Maine Democrats sought to link Collins to a fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the state.[18]

Collins faced questions of her own in the fall. In September, Democrats demanded answers over reporting about Collins's dealings with a defense contractor and an alleged federal investigation involving campaign contributions. Collins called the claims false and politically motivated.[19]

The debates turned sharp. The candidates traded blame over high costs in an October debate, then clashed over Collins's votes on the Iran war in their third debate.[20][7] In the final debate on October 15, Jackson told Collins to "shut up" after she suggested a protester was one of his supporters.[7] Separately, a Republican blamed its media vendor for mistakenly placing about $25,000 in digital advertising in Portland, Oregon, instead of Maine.[21]

In the race's final weeks, Collins called for the removal of a radio ad that called Jackson a "creep," saying she had nothing to do with it.[22] On October 23 she announced that the Trump administration would exempt nine categories of Canadian products crucial to Maine's agricultural industries from US , a move the White House made to help her campaign.[23] Late Republican ads mocked Jackson over his relationship with his longtime partner,[24] and on election eve red paint and the words "blood on her hands" appeared outside Collins's Biddeford office, the second attack on it in about six weeks, according to a conservative outlet.[25]

Supporting stories (25)
  1. Republican Susan Collins falls in Maine stunner to Graham Platner swap-in Troy Jackson
  2. Kamala Harris endorses Democrat Troy Jackson, in Maine's US Senate race after last-minute nomination
  3. Susan Collins announces reelection bid in pivotal Maine Senate race
  4. Collins leads Maine Senate race by 3 points: Survey
  5. What Maine voters are saying about the Collins-Jackson Senate race
  6. New poll shows Susan Collins in a neck-and-neck battle to win a sixth term
  7. Jackson doesn’t regret telling Collins to ‘shut up’ after protester interrupted Maine Senate debate
  8. Bitter personal attacks and Trump’s war in Iran highlighted in Thursday’s Senate debates in Alaska and Maine
  9. Republican Sen. Susan Collins discloses her longtime tremor after scrutiny in Maine’s Senate race
  10. Jackson leading Collins in Maine Senate race survey
  11. Maine Democrat Jackson acknowledges punching man in 1988; he and partner dismiss pushing allegation
  12. Maine voters say Susan Collins votes with Trump too often in Fox News poll
  13. JD Vance casts 2026 midterms as fight against socialism during Maine visit
  14. Joe Manchin says he supports Republican candidates in battleground Senate races in Maine and Michigan
  15. Maine Sen. Collins enlists ex-Democratic colleague Manchin in effort to highlight her independence
  16. Abortion rights group endorses Democrat Troy Jackson in critical Maine Senate race
  17. Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision
  18. Maine ICE shooting puts Sen. Susan Collins in a political bind
  19. Maine Democrats criticize Susan Collins over reported allegations of pay-to-play scheme
  20. Second Maine Senate debate takes testy turn: 3 takeaways
  21. Pro-Collins ads target wrong Portland in GOP super PAC mix-up
  22. Sen. Susan Collins calls for removal of radio ad attacking Democrat Troy Jackson as a 'creep'
  23. Trump, seeking to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins, exempts some Canadian imports from his 50% tariffs
  24. Republican attack ads mocking Troy Jackson’s relationship roil Maine Senate race against Susan Collins
  25. Susan Collins’ Maine Office Vandalized on Election Eve

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 43 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Susan Collins’ Maine Office Vandalized on Election EveHeadline from NOTUS · 12 outlets
  2. Republican Susan Collins falls in Maine stunner to Graham Platner swap-in Troy JacksonHeadline from New York Post · 38 outlets

October 2026

  1. Kansas, Maine Senate races neck-and-neck: CNN pollHeadline from The Hill · 6 outlets
  2. Maine Laundromat Owner Says She Was Tricked Into Starring in Troy Jackson AdHeadline from Newsweek · 4 outlets
  3. Susan Collins accused of punching down at opponent in ‘disgusting’ midterm adHeadline from Cleveland Plain Dealer · 3 outlets
  4. Republican attack ads mocking Troy Jackson’s relationship roil Maine Senate race against Susan CollinsHeadline from Local News 8 · 7 outlets
  5. New poll shows Susan Collins in a neck-and-neck battle to win a sixth termHeadline from NJ.com / Star-Ledger · 3 outlets
  6. Trump, seeking to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins, exempts some Canadian imports from his 50% tariffsHeadline from WFMZ Allentown · 31 outlets
  7. What Maine voters are saying about the Collins-Jackson Senate raceHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 4 outlets
  8. Sen. Susan Collins calls for removal of radio ad attacking Democrat Troy Jackson as a 'creep'Headline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 9 outlets
  9. Maine Sen. Collins enlists ex-Democratic colleague Manchin in effort to highlight her independenceHeadline from MyNorthwest · 16 outlets
  10. Bitter personal attacks and Trump’s war in Iran highlighted in Thursday’s Senate debates in Alaska and MaineHeadline from KION Central Coast · 7 outlets
  11. Jackson doesn’t regret telling Collins to ‘shut up’ after protester interrupted Maine Senate debateHeadline from MyNorthwest · 26 outlets
  12. Pro-Collins ads target wrong Portland in GOP super PAC mix-upHeadline from The Hill · 17 outlets
  13. Troy Jackson has 4-point lead over Susan Collins in Washington Post pollHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 3 outlets
  14. Troy Jackson shuts down Susan Collins with 5-word comeback at Maine Senate debateHeadline from AL.com · 3 outlets
  15. Second Maine Senate debate takes testy turn: 3 takeawaysHeadline from The Hill · 41 outlets

September 2026

  1. Older Mainers leaning toward Susan Collins in US Senate race, AARP poll showsHeadline from Portland Press Herald · 4 outlets
  2. Susan Collins ‘will not be intimidated’ after vandalism at Biddeford officeHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 6 outlets
  3. Susan Collins Continues to Lead Maine Senate PollsHeadline from Breitbart News · 3 outlets
  4. Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decisionHeadline from KOB 4 · 14 outlets
  5. Collins leads Maine Senate race by 3 points: SurveyHeadline from The Hill · 11 outlets
  6. FBI Accused Of Shutting Down Investigation Into Alleged Wrongdoing By Susan Collins’ Campaign StaffHeadline from The Daily Caller · 2 outlets
  7. Discredited Activists At ProPublica Cite Other Discredited Activists To Concoct Susan Collins Hit PieceHeadline from The Federalist · 2 outlets
  8. Maine Democrats criticize Susan Collins over reported allegations of pay-to-play schemeHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 20 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →