New Democratic Nominee Reshapes Maine Senate Race

With less than three months until the Nov. 3 general election, Maine is emerging as a key battleground in Democrats’ effort to flip control of the Senate. Republicans currently hold a 53-45 majority, with two independent senators, including Maine’s Angus King.

Although Maine has consistently backed Democratic presidential candidates in recent elections, Republican Sen. Susan Collins has repeatedly won statewide Senate races. This year, Collins is seeking another term against Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in what has become a closely contested race.

Collins is seeking her sixth term in the Senate after first being elected in the 1996 Senate race. Running unopposed in the Republican primary, her campaign is centered around her experience in the Senate and her position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. President Trump also endorsed her for reelection, calling her a “sane woman”.

Graham Platner initially dominated the Democratic primary, earning 72.3%of the vote, compared to Janet Mills’ 19.4% and David Costello’s 8.3%.

But in early July, Platner withdrew from the race after losing support from the Democratic party following sexual-assault allegations, which he denied. Shortly after, on July 22, Democratic candidate David Costello withdrew from the race and endorsed Troy Jackson, who was confirmed as the Democratic nominee on July 25.

Jackson, the former Maine Senate president, served in the Maine Senate from 2008-14 and again from 2016-24. Prior to his state Senate experience, he served in the Maine House for six years, from 2002-08. As a former logger, he is running his campaign on a populist, working-class message: “Working people are getting crushed while billionaires and corporations buy power in Washington. I’ve spent my life fighting that same rigged system – from the logging woods to the Maine Senate.”

Republicans are criticizing Jackson, attempting to connect his character to Platner, characterizing him as “Graham Platner 2.0,” while the Democrats are portraying Collins as a “rubber stamp” for President Trump, as she has sided with the majority of the president’s legislative propositions.

A survey in June among Maine’s registered voters showed Collins leading Platner by 3 percentage points (50% to 47%). Following the change in Democratic candidates, the RealClearPolitics Polling Average shows Maine voters siding with Democrat nominee Jackson over Collins by 2 percentage points (48.3% to 46%).

Collins voters appear to be more candidate-focused, while Jackson’s support is more heavily driven by opposition to the other candidate. Some 25% of voters say Troy Jackson is too close to the democratic socialist movement, while 40% say Susan Collins votes with President Donald Trump too often.

Among Collins voters, 71% say they support her because they favor her as a candidate, while 27% say their vote is primarily driven by opposition to Troy Jackson. Jackson’s support is inverted; 36% of his voters say they are voting for him because they support his candidacy, while 61% say they are primarily voting against Collins.