Maine voters decide Collins fate

Maine voters go to the polls on Tuesday to determine whether U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will secure a historic sixth term or yield her seat to Democrat Troy Jackson. The contest, which has drawn more than $200 million in spending, centers on competing views of Collins' power within the federal government.

Collins, the only Republican in New England, has spent the past 30 years winning re-election by focusing on local benefits. She leverages her role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to direct federal funds to the state. In late August, she visited Kenduskeag, north of Bangor, to mark the completion of a new library funded partly by a congressional earmark. She highlighted a nearby fire station, stating she has secured funding for 45 fire stations to be rebuilt or renovated.

Jackson, a former logger and state legislator, argues that Collins uses her seniority to protect her political brand rather than to check the president. He entered the race in late July after progressive candidate Graham Platner withdrew amid scandal. Jackson frames the election as a choice between an enabler of President Donald Trump and a representative who will fight for working-class interests.

During a campaign stop in Brunswick, Jackson criticized Collins for allowing trade tensions and the war in Iran to proceed unchecked. He told the crowd that Collins could stop these policies if she wanted to, but does not because of her alignment with the White House. Jackson’s platform includes Medicare for All and higher taxes on the wealthy, mirroring the populist themes that helped Platner win the most primary votes for a Senate candidate in state history.

The campaign has relied on high-profile surrogates to build momentum. In Portland, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Jackson’s record on equal pay and women’s rights, urging female voters to support his Senate bid. Jackson himself has emphasized his independence from wealthy donors, telling a crowd in October that he owes the people of Maine everything.

Collins faces pressure from her own party’s base due to President Trump’s declining popularity in Maine. He lost the state by seven points in the 2024 election. His administration’s trade war with Canada and military actions in Iran have complicated Collins' identity as an independent centrist. She has asked the White House for specific relief, including carve-outs on Canadian tariffs and the release of New England home heating oil reserves to offset price spikes caused by the Iran conflict.

To reinforce her image as a moderate, Collins campaigned with former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent who called her the soul of the Senate. Vice President JD Vance also traveled to Maine in late August to rally for Republican candidates. While Collins did not attend his event, Vance praised her independence. However, Vance simultaneously defended the president’s trade war with Canada, a stance that conflicts with Collins’ position on protecting Maine’s key trade partner.

Democratic political groups and outside donors have driven much of the negative advertising in the race. The high cost per capita reflects the perceived stakes of the election for congressional control. Lisa Eaton, a Democratic voter from Kennebunk, described her initial hesitation to support Jackson in the primary as a lack of enthusiasm. She attended a later event with historian Heather Cox Richardson to evaluate his qualifications for the Senate race.

Voters in the state will resolve the conflict between these two visions of power on Tuesday. Collins seeks to extend her record of delivering local projects, while Jackson aims to tie those local interests to a national shift away from the current administration.