Susan Collins Loses in Maine, Ending 30-Year Reign in Senate

Democrat Troy Jackson has defeated five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, ending the incumbent’s nearly 30-year tenure in Congress and closing out one of the most expensive Senate races in the nation.Ms. Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman in Senate history, had built a political brand around independence and bipartisan dealmaking, repeatedly winning reelection in a state that leans Democratic at the presidential level. That streak ended Tuesday night.“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,” Ms. Collins said in a statement Wednesday morning, noting that she had called Mr. Jackson to concede and pledge a smooth transition.With 86 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Jackson held 53.8 percent to Collins’ 46.1 percent, according to the Associated Press.Mr. Jackson delivered a victory speech Wednesday morning. “A little more than 100 days ago, I stood in front of our convention and asked you to put your faith in a logger from Allagash. I told you that we had a party to unite, a movement to build, and a senator to defeat. Well tonight, this morning, the people of Maine have elected that logger to the United States Senate,” he said.“If you’re watching this after getting home from a shift or sitting at the table wondering how you’re going to pay the next bill, I want you to hear something very clearly: You are sending somebody to Washington who knows exactly what that feels like. More importantly, I am going to remember who sent me there,” he said.The pickup of the Maine seat was part of a massive blue wave that saw Democrats flip seven Senate seats held by Republicans. With Alaska and Mississippi still up in the air, Democrats hold 54 Senate seats to Republicans’ 44.Mr. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president from Allagash, entered the race late after replacing Democratic nominee Graham Platner in July. Mr. Platner suspended his campaign following a rape allegation, which he denied. By the end of the race, Democratic- and Republican-aligned groups had spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars on ads, according to AdImpact.Despite the short runway, Mr. Jackson built his campaign around a working-class, pro-labor message, repeatedly tying Mr. Collins to President Trump’s policies—including trade tensions with Canada and rising oil prices tied to the Iran war. “Collins votes with Trump 96 percent of the time. The billionaire class is who she’s been fighting for,” Mr. Jackson said at one of their debates.Collins pushed back on that framing throughout the race, pointing to her record steering federal funds to Maine as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.“To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority, and relationships,” Ms. Collins said in a debate. “I have secured $1.5 billion for 672 projects all over the state of Maine during the past five years.” But Mr. Jackson argued that influence hadn’t translated into results for everyday Mainers, and criticized Mr. Collins for voting to advance Trump’s tax and spending package, even though she ultimately opposed its final passage over Medicaid cuts.“Tonight, Sen. Collins has told us how powerful she is. But power means nothing if you won’t use it when the people in Maine need it,” Mr. Jackson said.

Susan Collins Loses in Maine, Ending 30-Year Reign in Senate

Susan Collins Loses in Maine, Ending 30-Year Reign in Senate

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