Maine’s 1st District House Race 2026

Rep. Chellie Pingree led a Democratic field hearing in Biddeford, Maine, on the fatal ICE shooting of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, arguing that congressional Republicans and the Trump administration have refused to formally investigate the incident. Lawmakers heard testimony from local officials, lawyers, immigration advocates, and Duran Guerrero's parents, who traveled from Colombia and described the loss as devastating to their family.

Pingree noted Duran Guerrero was not the intended target of the ICE operation, and that his roommate, who agents were reportedly seeking, also lacked a final removal order. Democrats framed the shooting as evidence of failures in vetting and oversight tied to the administration's expanded deportation efforts. Rep. Bennie Thompson said Democrats would pursue an official probe if they win House control in November. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey confirmed his office is investigating under state law governing deadly force by law enforcement, but said his findings cannot compel action from the Department of Homeland Security, leaving further accountability to Congress or the administration.

Maine Democrats are demanding that Sen. Susan Collins address a ProPublica report alleging the FBI planned in 2024 to investigate whether she knew about illegal campaign contributions tied to Hawaii defense contractor Navatek. The report says a Collins fundraiser sought a $500,000 donation from Navatek executives in 2019, and CEO Martin Kao funneled $150,000 through a shell company after Collins allegedly committed to securing the company $32 million in Navy contracts. Kao and two other executives were later indicted for illegal campaign donations; Kao is now serving additional prison time after pleading guilty. ProPublica reported the probe stalled after Trump took office in 2021, amid a broader pullback in corruption investigations under his administration, including cuts to the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section and an FBI public-corruption squad.

Collins called the allegations "categorically false" and attacked Kao's credibility given his fraud and money-laundering convictions; the FBI said it already investigated and found nothing implicating her. Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the report "a political hit job." It lands six weeks before Collins seeks a sixth term against Democrat Troy Jackson, who called the allegations "corruption of the highest order," in a pivotal Senate race in a state Trump lost in 2024.

Republican Paul LePage, the former two-term Maine governor known as "Trump before Trump," was expected to easily flip the open 2nd District seat after Democratic Representative Jared Golden's retirement. Instead, rising fuel and living costs tied to tariffs and the Iran conflict have narrowed the race against Democratic State Auditor Matt Dunlap, who won a contested primary after Golden initially withdrew. Polls show a close contest in a district Trump carried by nine points in 2024, prompting heavy outside spending and visits from Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance. LePage, 78, has softened his combative style and touted his access to Trump, while Dunlap emphasizes cost-of-living concerns and LePage's past Medicaid expansion vetoes. The race is seen as the GOP's best chance to flip a Democratic-held seat this cycle.

A New York Times/Siena University poll released Sept. 24 shows Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, leading Democratic challenger Troy Jackson 49% to 46%, the best result for Collins in any public poll since Jackson entered the race in July. A separate UMass Lowell/YouGov poll taken earlier in September had Jackson ahead by five points, underscoring how close and unsettled the race remains.

Collins is the only Republican senator up for reelection in a state Trump largely lost in 2024, making the seat a top Democratic target. She has historically outperformed polling, having won comfortably in 2020 despite trailing throughout that campaign. The Times poll was conducted largely before a Sept. 22 ProPublica report alleging a pay-to-play scheme tied to her 2020 campaign, which Collins denies, calling it a "partisan hit job." Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, entered the race after primary winner Graham Platner dropped out amid misconduct allegations. Voters see Collins favorably despite her largely pro-Trump voting record in 2025, while a majority in Maine disapprove of Trump's job performance.

Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson is facing renewed scrutiny over his role in passing 2023 legislation that made Maine the first state to decriminalize selling sex. As Maine Senate president, Jackson voted for the bill, presided over its passage, and signed it before it went to the governor. The law also replaced terms like "prostitute" with "person for prostitution" and "prostituted" throughout state statute.

The measure drew opposition from both sex-worker advocacy groups, who argued for autonomy in the industry, and Maine law enforcement, which cited staffing shortages amid rising overdose deaths, homicides, and crashes. The bill advanced as Maine grappled with a housing shortage, a worsening opioid crisis, record homelessness, and high child food insecurity.

Jackson, who also backed gender-transition policy measures for minors and opposed several girls' sports protection bills, has separately faced scrutiny over workplace conduct allegations, his decades-long relationship with a second cousin, and past tax and assault issues. He won the Democratic nomination in July and will challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.

A Republican super PAC supporting Sen. Susan Collins of Maine mistakenly ran digital ads targeting her Democratic challenger, state Senate President Troy Jackson, in Portland, Oregon, instead of Portland, Maine. Defending Main Street confirmed its media vendor spent roughly $25,000 on the misplaced ad buy before the error was caught and corrected. The group's ad buyer, working with Cross Screen Media and the 1903 Group, took full responsibility and is refunding the misspent amount, meaning no donor funds will be lost.

The mix-up comes in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Collins is the only Republican senator representing a state carried by Kamala Harris in 2024, making her seat a top Democratic target as the party seeks to flip Republicans' narrow 53-47 Senate majority. While the error itself was minor and quickly fixed, it underscores the intense national attention and spending already surrounding the Maine contest well ahead of the election.

A closely watched race in Montana's 1st congressional district has become a test of whether economic populism or culture-war messaging resonates more with voters. Democrat Sam Forstag, a wildland firefighter and former ACLU lobbyist, has focused his campaign on housing affordability and cost-of-living frustrations, while Republican Aaron Flint, a former conservative radio host, has leaned into attacks portraying Forstag as a "radical" on gender and sexual orientation issues. President Trump campaigned in the state for Flint this week, underscoring the race's national profile.

Polling shows the contest within a few points either way, and the Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican." A heated debate this week saw Flint brand Forstag "Phony Forstag" over his past LGBTQ advocacy work, while Forstag kept his focus on housing costs, private equity's role in the rental market, and wage stagnation. Montana Democrats argue the state's independent streak favors pocketbook messaging over national identity politics, making the race a bellwether for broader midterm strategy debates.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned in Portland, Maine, for Democrat Troy Jackson, who is challenging Sen. Susan Collins in one of the midterms' most closely watched Senate races. Jackson, a logger from rural northern Maine, entered the race after Graham Platner's campaign collapsed amid sexual assault allegations. Ocasio-Cortez praised Jackson's willingness to campaign alongside a progressive New York lawmaker in a politically different state, and touted policies including Medicare for All and abortion and transgender rights. Jackson addressed concerns from Mainers wary of progressive politics, drawing on his own working-class upbringing. Democrats need to flip Maine and several other GOP-held seats to retake Senate control.

Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson visited People's Inclusive Welding, a South Portland trade school, during a Labor Day weekend tour of working Mainers. Jackson praised the shop's inclusive approach and pledged support for apprenticeship programs, saying inclusion is key to improving conditions across the state and country. Shop owner Jo Remillard said the school's "inclusive" branding has complicated its eligibility for some federal workforce-training funding.

The school's handbook outlines a zero-tolerance policy covering discrimination including "fatphobia," alongside racism, sexism, and other forms of bias, and states police will not be called into the shop space. Remillard and board member Arlo Hennessey have spoken publicly about equity and representation gaps in the skilled trades.

Jackson became the Democratic nominee in July after Graham Platner withdrew amid a sexual assault allegation he denies. Jackson is challenging incumbent Sen. Susan Collins and has faced scrutiny over past conduct allegations and a legislative record including votes on gender-affirming care access and sex work decriminalization.