Who's In the Race

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) faces Democrat Troy Jackson in the November 3 U.S. Senate general election in Maine. Maine uses ranked-choice voting in federal general elections when more than two candidates are in the race, counting ballots in rounds until one candidate wins a majority. ​

Collins, a native of Caribou, has served in the Senate for 30 years, first taking office in 1996; before that, she served as Maine's Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation and directed the Small Business Administration's regional office. She ran unopposed in the June 9 Republican primary, receiving 100 percent of 126,398 votes.

Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash who spent years operating equipment, driving trucks, and cutting wood before serving 20 years in Maine's Legislature, including six years as Maine Senate President. His path to the ballot followed the withdrawal of Graham Platner, who won the June 9 Democratic primary, and Maine Democrats selected Jackson as the replacement nominee at a July 25 convention. At that convention, Jackson received 566 votes to Saundra Pelletier's 5, about 99 percent of the total.

What They Stand For

Jackson has proposed Medicare for All, saying "health care is a right, not a privilege," according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Direct federal negotiation of prescription-drug prices to lower costs,
  • Higher taxes on billionaires and large corporations, paired with an expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit for working families,
  • Abolishing ICE and reforming immigration enforcement to respect due process and human rights; and
  • A federal right to abortion.

Collins has called for substantial health care reform, citing medical and prescription costs, provider shortages, and mental health care, according to her official Senate website. She also supports:

  • Improving health care access in rural communities and lowering prescription-drug costs,
  • Policies supporting small businesses, which she describes as "the job-creating engines that power our economy,"
  • Improving retirement security and increasing research on Alzheimer's and diabetes; and
  • Protecting rural veterans' health care access and holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Collins had raised about $18.9 million and held about $11 million in cash, which represents about 58 percent of her total receipts, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Troy Jackson's campaign finance record shows no reported receipts.

Outside groups have spent about $2.4 million supporting Collins, with Lead Maine Committee, Inc. as the largest single supporter at about $638,000, followed by SLF PAC at about $626,000 and ClearPath Action Fund, Inc. at about $616,000; all other supporters combined gave about $557,000.

Groups opposing Collins have spent about $1.4 million, led by Planned Parenthood Votes at about $756,000. Outside groups have spent about $1.7 million supporting Jackson, with Government That Works PAC the largest contributor at about $1.6 million. Groups opposing Jackson have spent about $43,000, all from the American Political Action Committee.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

All three major race-rating services call this a toss-up. The Cook Political Report rated it a Toss-up as of Oct. 12; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it a Toss-up as of Oct. 15; and Inside Elections rated it a Toss-up as of Oct. 2. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Jackson, a 58.82% chance of winning the seat as of Oct. 19, with Republicans, whose nominee is Collins, at 41.18%.

Polling aggregated by Legis1 across 101 surveys through Oct. 14 showed Jackson leading Collins 49.3 percent to 47.1 percent, a margin of 2.1 points.

Democrats won both of Maine's two U.S. House seats in 2024. In the 2024 presidential race, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris carried Maine with about 52 percent of the statewide vote. Maine's other Senate seat, Class I, was won in 2024 by independent Angus S. King Jr. with about 51 percent of the vote.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article