Troy Jackson defeats Susan Collins in Maine U.S. Senate race

Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race, ending Collins' nearly 30-year tenure in the Senate. Collins conceded early Wednesday, Nov. 4, according to ABC News and The Blaze, and the race was called for Jackson by the Associated Press, according to NPR and Just The News, and by CNN, according to Newsweek. CBS News also projected Jackson the winner, CBS News reported.

"It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate. I'm proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years," Collins said in a statement carried by several outlets. She said she called Jackson to congratulate him and pledged a smooth transition.

**The result**

Vote shares reported by outlets varied with the count at the time. The Blaze cited NBC News figures of 52.4% for Jackson to 47.5% for Collins with 69.2% of the expected vote in; the New York Post reported 52.7% to 47.2% with about two-thirds of ballots tallied; and the Daily Mail cited AP figures of 52 percent to 47 percent with 67 percent counted.

The Epoch Times reported the flip brings the Democrats' new Senate majority to 53 seats, and the Daily Mail said the win ensures Democrats at least 53 seats. NPR reported Jackson will be the first Democrat to represent Maine in the Senate since 1995, and The Blaze, citing Maine Public, said no sitting Maine senator had lost re-election since 1978.

"We did it. Working people won," Jackson told supporters in Portland, according to The Guardian. The Daily Mail quoted the same remark as "We did it. Working people did it."

**A replacement nominee**

Jackson, 58, a former logger and former president of the Maine Senate, became the nominee after Graham Platner, who won the Democratic primary, withdrew following an allegation of sexual assault, which Platner denied. The Blaze and the Daily Mail reported that delegates picked Jackson on July 25, and the Daily Mail said that gave him a 101-day campaign. MS NOW reported that Jackson had run for governor earlier in the year as a Bernie Sanders-aligned progressive, and Newsweek said he lost that primary to Hannah Pingree.

The campaign also drew attention to Jackson's personal life. Time reported that a super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans aired a radio ad calling Jackson a freak and a creep over his relationship with his second cousin, with whom he has two sons, and that Collins distanced herself from the ad and called for its removal. Time also reported that Jackson drew criticism for telling Collins to shut up at a debate, a moment the BBC also noted.

**The campaign arguments**

Collins ran on her independence and her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I have secured $1.5 billion for 672 projects all over the state of Maine during the past five years," she said in a debate, according to NBC News. The Blaze quoted her saying in an Oct. 6 debate that she voted against her party more than any other senator. NBC noted she was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and Newsweek reported she voted against final passage of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act after voting to advance it.

Jackson argued Collins had not used her power to check Trump. "Tonight, Sen. Collins has told us how powerful she is. But power means nothing if you won't use it when the people in Maine need it," he said at a debate, according to NBC. The Guardian and CBS reported that he pointed to her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and NPR and the Guardian reported he tied her to fuel costs from the Iran war and tariffs. The Intercept cited a CQ Roll Call analysis finding her votes aligned with Trump 90 percent of the time, while NPR cited a New York Times analysis finding she breaks with her party more than any other Senate Republican, though less often in Trump's second term.

**Money and polls**

Outlets cited different spending figures. NPR, citing AdImpact, said groups on both sides spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars on ads; The Epoch Times cited an OpenSecrets analysis of more than $140 million; and The Blaze reported pro-Collins groups outspent pro-Jackson groups on ads, $85.3 million to $53.9 million. The Daily Mail reported Jackson raised $26.9 million in about three months against $22.5 million for Collins over the full cycle. In a pre-election piece, Newsweek reported Jackson led in most final polls, while an Emerson College poll had Collins narrowly ahead within its margin of error.

**Election-eve vandalism**

The night before the vote, Collins' constituent office in Biddeford was vandalized with red paint and the words blood on her hands, the second incident at that office since September, according to Fox News, Breitbart, The Epoch Times and RedState. Biddeford police are investigating, and no suspect has been named, Breitbart reported. "There's no place for this in Maine. Vandalism and intimidation are wrong, full stop," Jackson said in a statement to Fox News.

**How outlets covered it**

The core facts were consistent: Jackson won, Collins conceded, and Platner's exit reshaped the race. Differences came in framing and emphasis. Breitbart (Right) called Jackson far-left and described the second-cousin relationship as credible allegations; Time (Lean Left) and the Daily Mail (Lean Right) reported the relationship without that qualifier. The New York Post (Lean Right) framed Jackson as a Platner swap-in. Left-leaning outlets including the Guardian, MS NOW and NPR emphasized Trump's unpopularity and the Kavanaugh vote, while MS NOW opened by saying Trump's second term helped end Collins' career. Right-leaning outlets were more likely to note the Biddeford vandalism, which RUSH's left-leaning sources for this story did not mention.

Outlets also disagreed on dates. NPR said Jackson replaced Platner in August, while The Blaze, the Daily Mail and CBS placed his selection in July. The Blaze put the primary on June 9, and Newsweek put it on June 6.

**On social media**

On X, the most-engaged posts were largely celebratory from left-leaning users, such as uspolitics1111, who wrote that Jackson is the new senator from Maine. From the right, conservative user Kentuckygirl1 called Collins a RINO and mocked Jackson's relationship with his cousin, a post that drew hundreds of likes. Time and the Daily Mail reported the relationship; no outlet reported anything beyond that.

On Bluesky, the most-shared posts came from left-leaning accounts relaying the race call, including commentator Jon Cooper and the group Indivisible, which credited Jackson's progressive message. No significant right-leaning posts on the race appeared on Bluesky.

On Truth Social, no significant posts about the race appeared at the time of writing.