Susan Collins Loses Maine Senate Seat After Nearly 30 Years

Portland (GNP): Democrat Troy Jackson has defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, ending a political career in Washington that lasted nearly three decades. Collins was seeking a sixth term, and her loss gives Democrats another seat as they take control of the US Senate.

The result surprised many Maine voters, because Collins had survived tough races before. Polls showed a close contest, and she had built an image as a local institution who brought federal money and contracts home to the state. Few people expected the seat to change hands until the votes were counted.

Jackson was also an unlikely challenger. A former logger and union member, he entered the race late. Democrats had first nominated Graham Platner, whose populist message energized supporters until allegations of serious sexual misconduct emerged. Platner denied them but left the race, and Jackson had only 101 days to campaign as his replacement.

The night started slowly for his supporters. Early returns showed Jackson with a narrow lead at the Democratic watch party in Portland, but nobody was ready to celebrate while other Republican strongholds fell across the country. The mood changed once about 60 percent of the ballots were counted and his lead looked firm. Collins then phoned to concede, and the room erupted in chants of his name.

Jackson kept his victory remarks plain and direct. He told the crowd that sending one of their own to the Senate was a choice they had made together. He said he owed nothing to President Donald Trump or to billionaires, and he promised to defend voters’ healthcare, jobs and freedoms. He also pledged to be accessible, saying constituents could ask him about any vote in person.

That promise went to the heart of the campaign against Collins. Critics said she was rarely available to the voters she represented, even though she often pointed to the times she voted against Trump. Jackson also pressed her record on abortion rights, citing her 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later sided with the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. That was a notable argument from a candidate who had opposed abortion rights while serving in the state legislature, and it helped him win the support of abortion rights groups. Signs reading “abortion is on the ballot” appeared across the state.

Trump’s role was more indirect. He campaigned in person for several other Republican Senate candidates but did not visit Maine to help Collins. Even so, many voters saw her as tied to his administration. One longtime Collins voter, technology professional Todd Cox, said he switched to Jackson because of concerns about the country’s direction, citing affordability, the war in Iran and disregard for the rule of law.

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The race also produced its best-known line. During the first televised debate, Collins pointed to her success in winning an exemption for road salt from Canadian tariffs as proof that she could stand up to Trump. Jackson answered in four words, and Democrats later put the line on campaign material.

Jackson’s supporters said the exchange captured a larger problem. Elizabeth Wise, a nurse who canvassed for him, said Collins was skilled at publicizing what she had achieved but had led voters to think of her as a moderate. Wise argued that Collins delivered large benefits for corporate interests and only small ones for Maine.

Labor leaders celebrated the result as a milestone. Cynthia Phinney, president of the Maine AFL-CIO, whose members made 65,000 canvassing calls for Jackson, called it a historic change to send a union member from a working-class background to a Senate she described as dominated by millionaires. She said voters were ready to demand the change they had not received from their elected officials.

For Collins, the defeat ended a long run as one of the few Republicans able to win in a state that Democrats usually carry in presidential races. For Jackson, it opens a new chapter that will begin when he is sworn in. Jackson said, “You can’t eat road salt.”