In a small state where the timber trade and the sea have long shaped how people understand work and loyalty, Maine has delivered a verdict that few expected to be so clear. Susan Collins, a five-term Republican who built her career on crossing her own party when it suited Maine, has lost her seat to Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president and fifth-generation logger. The outcome reflects a political season shaped by an unpopular war abroad and expensive fuel at home, and it reveals how a single state's choice can ripple outward to decide who holds power in Washington.
Democrat Troy Jackson Defeats Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, Putting Senate Majority Under Pressure
Collins had survived hard climates before. This time, Maine moved on.
Mark
Why does this one race carry so much weight?
Mimi
Collins was the only Republican incumbent up for reelection in a state Harris carried in 2024. For Democrats, that made Maine the most obvious seat to flip.
Mark
And Jackson wasn't even the original nominee.
Mimi
Right. Graham Platner withdrew after an allegation of sexual assault, and the party picked Jackson in July. He'd also lost a run for governor earlier this year.
Luke
Worth being clear about what we actually have. This is a CBS News projection, not a certified result. We don't have vote totals or a margin here.
Mark
What was the core argument against Collins?
Mimi
Jackson said she hadn't opposed Trump enough, and he pointed to her support for Kavanaugh, which helped lead to the 2022 decision overturning the federal right to abortion.
Luke
And Collins argued the opposite angle: that Jackson wouldn't be effective, and that she's delivered for Maine. Those are campaign claims, not findings.
Mark
How does this affect the Senate majority?
Mimi
Republicans are defending a majority while the Iran war is unpopular and fuel prices are high. That has put several red states in play.
Luke
Though how many of them Democrats can actually win isn't answered by this result. One seat doesn't settle the majority.
Le Pouls
- Democrats' nominee collapsed mid-campaign when Graham Platner withdrew over a sexual assault allegation, forcing a late scramble for a replacement.
- Jackson, who had lost a governor's race earlier this year, pressed Collins hard, arguing she had not stood up to Trump and pointing to her Kavanaugh vote.
- Collins leaned on her long Senate seniority and the benefits she had steered to Maine, a defense that had carried her through tough climates before.
- Republicans now lose a seat they were counting on in a Harris-won state, and their hold on the Senate majority grows harder to defend.
- Red states once thought safe are now in play as Iran war anger and high gas and diesel prices weigh on voters.
In a small state where the timber trade and the sea have long shaped how people understand work and loyalty, Maine has delivered a verdict that few expected to be so clear. Susan Collins, a five-term Republican who built her career on crossing her own party when it suited Maine, has lost her seat to Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president and fifth-generation logger. The outcome reflects a political season shaped by an unpopular war abroad and expensive fuel at home, and it reveals how a single state's choice can ripple outward to decide who holds power in Washington.
Susan Collins, the five-term Republican senator from Maine, has lost her seat. CBS News projects that Democrat Troy Jackson has defeated her, handing his party a victory it has pursued for decades.
Jackson, 58, is a fifth-generation logger who once led the Maine state Senate and has built his campaign around working people. He was not the Democrats' first choice. Their original nominee, Graham Platner, withdrew after a sexual assault allegation, and Maine Democrats turned to Jackson in July, weeks after he had lost his own bid for governor.
The race carried weight because Collins was the only Republican incumbent seeking reelection in a state Kamala Harris had won in 2024. That made Maine the clearest chance for Democrats to flip a seat.
The contest split on two arguments. Collins questioned whether Jackson could be effective as a legislator and pointed to the influence she had built in the Senate for Maine's benefit. Jackson replied that she had not opposed the president enough, and he returned again and again to her vote for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which helped clear the path to overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The outcome reaches beyond Maine. Republicans are working to hold the Senate while the Iran war remains unpopular and fuel prices stay high, pressures that have put several red states in play. With Maine gone, the open question is how many of those other states Democrats can win. Until official results and the remaining Senate tallies are in, the projection is CBS News's call and the final picture is still forming.
Susan Collins, a five-term Republican senator from Maine, has lost her seat. CBS News projects that Democrat Troy Jackson defeated her, delivering the party a win it has chased for decades.
Jackson is 58, a fifth-generation logger who once served as president of the Maine state Senate. He has presented himself throughout as a champion of working people. He was not the Democrats' first choice. The party's original nominee, Graham Platner, withdrew after an allegation of sexual assault, and Maine Democrats chose Jackson as their nominee in July. Earlier this year Jackson had lost his own bid for governor.
The race mattered because of where it was. Collins was the only Republican incumbent running for reelection in a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024. That made Maine the Democrats' clearest opportunity to take a seat from the other party.
Collins, who is 73, had been through hard political climates before. She has a record of breaking with President Trump, and that record had helped carry her through earlier contests. Still, the Democratic primary turmoil meant Jackson's route to victory stayed uncertain until the end.
The campaign turned on two competing arguments. Collins questioned how effective Jackson would be as a legislator, and she pointed to the influence she has held in the Senate and used for Maine's benefit. Jackson countered that she had not gone far enough in opposing the president. He focused on her support for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a vote that helped clear the way for the high court to overturn the federal right to an abortion in 2022.
The result also bears on the fight over the Senate as a whole. Republicans are trying to hold their majority at a time when the war in Iran is unpopular and gas and diesel prices remain high. Those pressures have widened a map that once favored the GOP, and a number of red states are now in play for Democrats.
With Maine projected for Jackson, Republicans have lost one of the seats they were trying to protect, and the question moving forward is how many of those other states Democrats can actually win. The projection is CBS News's call, so the thing to watch is the formal results and the tallies in the remaining Senate contests.
Citations marquantes
Jackson argued Collins hasn't gone far enough in opposing the president, citing her Kavanaugh support.— Troy Jackson, Democratic nominee (paraphrased)
Collins questioned Jackson's effectiveness as a legislator and touted her influence in the Senate for Maine.— Sen. Susan Collins (paraphrased)
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Politics & Governance