Key facts
- Jackson, 58, is a lumberjack by trade and a former state senate president, the report said.
- Collins had represented Maine in the Senate since 1997 and was seeking a sixth term.
- The report said Jackson cast Collins as a loyal supporter of Donald Trump's agenda, citing her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh.
- Collins argued her independence and influence delivered federal dollars to Maine as chair of the Senate appropriations committee, per the report.
- Jackson had 101 days to mount a Senate campaign after winning the nomination, according to the report.
Democrat Troy Jackson won Maine's US Senate race on November 3, 2026, unseating five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins, according to a report published on November 4, 2026 that described the result as one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 midterms. The report gave no vote tally or margin.
Jackson, 58, a lumberjack by trade and a former state senate president, ran on a platform of progressive economic populism. The report said he sought to break down Collins' image as a moderate Republican willing to break with Donald Trump, casting her instead as a loyal supporter of the president and citing her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Collins, who had served in the Senate since 1997, cast Jackson as ideologically inconsistent and lacking the federal experience to deliver for Maine. As the only Senate Republican running in a state Trump lost in 2024, the report said she argued her independence and influence had delivered results, pointing to federal dollars she helped steer home as chair of the Senate appropriations committee.
The report said both candidates courted Mainers who split their ticket in 2020, voting for Joe Biden for president and returning Collins to Washington. It said Maine had been hit by high fuel costs tied to Trump's war with Iran and record-high heating oil prices, and by the administration's tariffs, which it said affected several of the state's critical industries.
According to the report, the cycle began with Democratic nominee Graham Platner, an oysterman and former marine, dropping out amid scandals that culminated in an allegation of sexual assault and rape, which he denied. Maine Democrats organized a special convention to pick a replacement, and Jackson had 101 days to mount a Senate campaign after winning it, the report said. It said Collins sought to tie Jackson to Platner's brand of progressivism, noting the two had campaigned together during Jackson's unsuccessful gubernatorial bid earlier in the year.