Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in the Maine Senate election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Associated Press called the race at 1:02 a.m. ET on Wednesday, with Jackson leading by over five percentage points. Collins, who has served nearly 30 years in the Senate, conceded the race and pledged to ensure a smooth transition for her successor.
The election results ended a tenure for Collins that began in 1997. She was the sole Republican incumbent seeking reelection in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger and former president of the Maine Senate, entered the race in late July after the original Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, suspended his campaign following an allegation of sexual assault, which Platner denied.
According to the Associated Press, with 76% of votes counted, Jackson received 53.4% (308,569 votes) to Collins' 46.5% (268,891 votes). Jackson ran on a platform focused on labor rights and universal health care. He criticized Collins for her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and linked her to Trump administration policies he argued caused economic strain, such as trade tensions with Canada and rising energy prices related to the war in Iran.
Collins defended her record as a centrist and highlighted her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, arguing her seniority helped secure federal funding for Maine. She stated during an October debate that Jackson would be an "automatic vote" for his party, whereas she worked across party lines. An analysis by the New York Times cited by reporters found Collins broke with her party more than any other Republican senator, though it noted her frequency in doing so had decreased during President Trump’s second term.
On a local level, the transition from Collins to Jackson represents a shift in legislative priorities that could affect the approximately one-third of Maine residents enrolled in Medicaid. Jackson campaigned on expanding universal health care, while characterizing the Trump administration's policies as "slashing" the program. Additionally, the change in representation may influence federal trade policy with Canada, a critical economic partner for Maine small-business owners and the logging industry where Jackson spent his career.
The financial scale of the contest set local records, with more than $224 million spent by Democratic and Republican groups. This included $130 million from Republican-aligned groups and $94 million from Democratic groups, making it the most expensive race per capita in the United States this year. Following the November 3 vote, Collins' staff will begin transition work with Jackson's team ahead of the new Congress convening in January 2027. Jackson will join the Senate as a new representative for Maine alongside the state's other members of Congress.