Biddeford, Maine

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins conceded to Democrat Troy Jackson early Wednesday, ending her bid for a sixth term and flipping a seat Democrats counted among several wins that gave them a 53-seat Senate majority on Election Night. The Associated Press had not formally called the race, and Maine's ranked-choice voting system could still delay an official result if neither candidate cleared 50% amid possible write-in votes. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president backed by Bernie Sanders, became the nominee in July after Graham Platner dropped out amid controversy. The contest drew over $140 million in spending, among the largest sums ever for a Senate race in a state of under 1.5 million people.

Collins, 73 and first elected in 1996, leaned on her Appropriations Committee seniority and independence from Trump; Jackson, 58, attacked her Kavanaugh vote and ties to Trump's agenda.

Control of the Senate is on the line as voters cast ballots in several closely watched 2026 midterm races. In Alaska, Republican Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, complicated by a same-named independent candidate on the ranked-choice ballot. New Hampshire sees Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas against Republican former Senator John E. Sununu for Jeanne Shaheen's open seat, while Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont seeks a third term against Republican state Senator Ryan Fazio. Other tight contests include Ohio's Sherrod Brown vs. Jon Husted, Iowa's Josh Turek vs. Ashley Hinson, Maine's Susan Collins vs. Troy Jackson, and South Carolina's special election following Lindsey Graham's death.

Democrats need to flip several Republican-held seats to retake the majority; Cook Political Report lists six Senate races as tossups. Turnout has been heavy in Texas, Florida, and New Hampshire, with Trump-aligned super PACs and crypto industry groups spending heavily to influence outcomes in Ohio and Texas.

Sen. Susan Collins's (R-Maine) constituent service office in Biddeford was vandalized overnight, the second such incident in two months, just before Election Day. Photos showed red paint reading "blood on her hands" splashed on the building and sidewalk. Collins called the act "disgraceful," noting the office handles nonpolitical casework like Social Security, veterans' benefits and IRS issues. Her chief of staff said the vandalism was meant to intimidate staff but called the tactics ineffective. The same office was vandalized in September with a reference to President Trump, and Collins's Bangor home was egged that month. Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson, former Maine Senate president, in a closely watched race.

Jose Fiscal Belli, a 32-year-old restaurant co-owner and Little League coach in Paris, Illinois, has been held in ICE custody since July 21 after Indiana State Police stopped him for a parking violation outside an Indianapolis government building and turned him over to federal agents. Fiscal Belli, brought to the U.S. from Mexico at 16, had a 2011 deportation order he says he didn't know about while pursuing legal status through marriage to his American wife. An immigration judge denied him bond despite no criminal record. The case has split the heavily pro-Trump town of about 8,000, where residents, local Republican officials, and the Democratic mayor have rallied to support him, raising funds and writing letters urging his release while he fights deportation from a Kentucky jail.

Sen. Susan Collins announced that all Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Maine have been issued body cameras, arriving more than two weeks ahead of schedule after she pressed acting ICE director David Venturella to prioritize the state. Venturella had pledged to equip all agents nationwide by the end of August, though he has said footage would only be released publicly if deemed in the agency's "best interests." The move follows last month's fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian immigrant in Biddeford, in which the involved agents were not wearing body cameras.

Separately, Sen. Angus King is demanding answers from ICE over reports the agency plans to spend up to $20 million on gloves capable of delivering electric shocks, a device also used by some schools, police departments, prisons, and hospitals. King said the purchase suggests a focus on "intimidation of anyone critical" of ICE conduct and called for greater transparency on the agency's hiring, training, and tactics.