Democrat Troy Jackson has secured victory in Maine’s US Senate race, defeating five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins. The win marks one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterms.
Jackson, 58, a former state senate president, unseated Collins, who had served in the Senate since 1997. The campaign was closely fought and often contentious, with both candidates making accusations of corruption and debating living costs in the predominantly rural state.
This victory provides Democrats with a key gain in the midterm cycle and concludes Collins’s nearly three-decade career in Washington. Jackson, a lumberjack by trade, ran on a platform of progressive economic populism.
Collins, the only Senate Republican running in a state that Donald Trump lost in 2024, had highlighted her independence and influence, citing federal funds she helped direct to Maine as chair of the Senate appropriations committee.
Maine has been affected by rising fuel costs, linked to Trump’s conflict with Iran, and high heating oil prices. The state has also experienced the impact of the administration’s tariffs on several key industries.