WorldUS midterms
Susan Collins concedes Maine to Troy Jackson, ending 30 years in the Senate
The five-term Maine Republican loses to a former president of the Maine Senate, the seventh seat Democrats have taken from Republicans as they widen their new Senate majority.
Key points
- Susan Collins called Troy Jackson to concede early on Wednesday, US time.
- Jackson led 52.5% to 46.3% when the race ended.
- It is the first time since 1978 Maine voters have ousted a sitting senator.
Republican Senator Susan Collins has conceded the Maine Senate race to Democrat Troy Jackson, bringing down one of the best-known figures in Washington and handing Democrats yet another seat on a night that has already given them control of Congress.
Collins telephoned Jackson to concede early on Wednesday morning US time, a spokesperson for his campaign said. When the race ended, Jackson led with 52.5% of the vote to 46.3% for Collins, with counting still going on.
The end of a long career
Collins first entered the Senate in 1997 and was seeking a sixth term. Over nearly 30 years in the chamber she built a reputation as a moderate who sometimes broke with her party, and she ran this time on her seniority and her place on the Senate Appropriations Committee, arguing that her relationships in Washington brought money home to Maine.
It was not enough. Maine voters have not removed a sitting senator since 1978.
Who is Troy Jackson
Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, campaigned on the cost of living, health care and workers’ rights. He argued that Collins had grown too close to President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly on issues that hit working families, and his platform included ending the war with Iran and moving towards Medicare for All.
He was not the Democrats’ first choice. Graham Platner, an oyster farmer who won the party’s primary in June, withdrew after allegations of sexual assault, which he denied, leaving Jackson to take on Collins.
A seventh flip
Maine is the seventh Republican-held seat Democrats have won in these midterms. Earlier in the night they took North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Iowa and Ohio, all of which had Republican senators going into the vote.
Republicans began the night with a 53-47 majority, and Democrats had needed a net gain of four seats. With the Senate already projected for them, each extra seat gives the party more room to block President Trump’s nominees and legislation.
Jackson will be sworn in when the new Congress meets in January. Several Senate and House races, including Alaska, were still being counted.