Troy Jackson wins Maine U.S. Senate race, unseating longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins

The Story

Troy Jackson, a late Democratic entrant, won Maine’s U.S. Senate seat early Wednesday, beating longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that Democrats cast as a key win.

Jackson, 58, had about 100 days to persuade Maine voters after he replaced Graham Platner as the party’s nominee in July. He won a hastily convened nominating convention and began campaigning across the state, emphasizing economic issues including the high costs of housing and healthcare.

Speaking at an election night party in Portland, Jackson said: “For every family doing everything they can and wondering when somebody is going to do something for them, you have gotten me into this and you’re going to have someone who is fighting for you in Washington, D.C.”

Collins, 73, entered Election Day as the only Republican lawmaker in Congress from New England and sought a sixth term representing a state that has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1992.

In a statement after calling Jackson to concede, Collins said: “It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate. I’m proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years.”

Jackson’s nomination took shape during a period of Democratic upheaval. Jackson, who comes from rural Aroostook County, first entered politics after leading a weeklong loggers’ blockade along Maine’s border with Quebec in the late 1990s protesting the hiring of Canadian loggers who were coming into Maine and driving down pay rates.

After serving nearly 20 years in the Maine House and rising to become the Senate’s top leader, Jackson initially pursued the Democratic nomination for governor but lost. Platner, an oyster farmer and political newcomer, had drawn major attention but faced controversies, including a July announcement that he would withdraw from the Senate race. After that, Jackson won the special nominating convention later that month.

During the Senate campaign, Jackson held events at churches, union halls and bars and adopted rhetoric described as reminiscent of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who joined Jackson for rallies in October.

Collins had long touted her independence and sought to present her Senate tenure as a source of influence in powerful committees and budgeting negotiations. She told reporters that: “It has been 92 years since a Maine senator was chair of the Senate appropriations committee, the most powerful committee in the Senate,” adding that when she took over last year, she had a “once-in-a-century opportunity to help the state of Maine and pursue national priorities as well.”