Troy Jackson

Polling shows a close contest between Sen. Susan Collins (R) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in Maine's U.S. Senate race, one week before the midterms. A Marist University survey found Jackson narrowly ahead among likely voters, within the poll's margin of error, while a Fox News poll showed the candidates tied and a Suffolk University poll also gave Jackson a slight edge. Election handicappers, including the Cook Political Report, rate the race a toss-up. Collins is seeking a sixth term; a win would make her Maine's longest-serving senator. Jackson, a former state senator, recently gained backing from dozens of former diplomats and foreign policy figures.

New polling shows a close contest between Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson ahead of the midterms. A Marist University survey found Jackson narrowly ahead among likely voters, within the margin of error, while a recent Fox News poll showed the race tied and a Suffolk University poll also gave Jackson a slight edge. Election handicappers rate the contest a toss-up. Collins, seeking a sixth term, would become Maine's longest-serving senator if reelected. Jackson, a logger and former state senator, replaced earlier Democratic nominee Graham Platner and has gained endorsements from former diplomats as he works to build name recognition statewide.

Maine's Senate race between five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic state Senate President Troy Jackson has become a referendum on Collins herself, with polls showing a tight contest. Jackson, a logger-turned-legislator who entered the race after primary winner Graham Platner withdrew amid sexual assault allegations he denies, has hammered Collins over economic anxieties, heating costs, and a ProPublica report on a past FBI bribery inquiry she denies wrongdoing in. Collins has leaned on her record steering federal funding to Maine and warns her seniority loss would hurt the state. A debate exchange over road-salt tariff exemptions went viral, encapsulating the race's focus on her decades-long incumbency rather than Jackson's own candidacy.

Maine's U.S. Senate race between Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson is rated among the closest in the country, raising the possibility that neither candidate wins a first-choice majority on election night. If so, the state would conduct its first-ever statewide ranked-choice count in a general election, a process that has taken up to a week to complete in past elections. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says her office is trying to speed up tabulation but is not promising quick results. Past ranked-choice counts in Maine have drawn legal challenges, and officials expect similar litigation here, echoing a recent Trump-backed effort to block certification in Alaska's ranked-choice Senate race.

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 Democrat Troy Jackson says he does not regret telling Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" during their final debate, after a protester opposing data centers interrupted the event and Collins suggested the demonstrator was one of Jackson's supporters. Jackson denied any connection to the protester, identified as Bowdoin College student Henry Elgie; the Sunrise Movement claimed him as one of its own volunteers. Collins called Jackson's retort "telling," citing past criticism of his temper toward female colleagues. Jackson has acknowledged past outbursts but won't apologize. Days later, Democrats remain divided over whether his cautious, establishment-aided campaign can match Collins in the closely watched Nov. 3 race.