Election 2026: Troy Jackson topples longtime Sen. Susan Collins in Maine

Troy Jackson won Maine’s U.S. Senate seat early Wednesday, stunning longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins, according to The Associated Press.

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Jackson, 58, a Democratic former state legislator and a fifth-generation logger, was a late entry in the Senate race, The New York Times reported.

Gov. Janet Mills, the Democrats’ favored candidate early in the campaign, never gained traction and dropped out of the race, according to the newspaper.

Graham Platner, who won the Democratic primary, dropped out of the race after allegations of sexual assault were revealed, the Times reported.

Maine, I owe you everything. I’m ready to get to work for Mainers in the U.S. Senate, and I promise you this: I’ll never forget where I came from or who I’m fighting for. Thank you. Let’s go build a government that works for all of us. https://t.co/JsTxTaLz9T

— Troy Jackson (@TroyJackson207) November 4, 2026

That gave Jackson 100 days to defeat Collins, 73, who was seeking her sixth term in the Senate.

“For every family doing everything they can and wondering when somebody is going to do something for them, you have gotten me into this and you’re going to have someone who is fighting for you in Washington, D.C.,” Jackson told the crowd at an election night party in Portland, according to the AP.

Election 2026: Democrats capture both chambers of Congress

Collins entered Election Day as the only Republican lawmaker in Congress from New England, the news organization reported.

Collins conceded the race to Jackson early Wednesday, the Bangor Daily News reported.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate,” Collins said in a statement. “I’m proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years.”

It was the first time Maine voters ousted a sitting senator since 1978, when Republican U.S. Rep. William S. Cohen defeated Democratic Sen. Bill Hathaway, the Daily News reported.

Collins had been an underdog throughout the campaign, but she had faced long odds before and prevailed in her reelection bid.

She defeated former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon in 2020 after trailing in every poll, according to the newspaper. Fewer than half of Jackson’s own backers believed he would win, according to the final University of New Hampshire poll.

“If you’re watching this after getting home from a shift or sitting at the table wondering how you’re going to pay the next bill, I want you to hear something very clearly: You are sending somebody to Washington who knows exactly what that feels like,” Jackson told supporters. “More importantly, I am going to remember who sent me there.”