Collins Loses Maine Senate Seat to Jackson
Susan Collins falls to Democrat Troy Jackson by nearly 8 percentage points as Republicans lose control of both chambers.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Susan Collins lost her Maine Senate reelection to Troy Jackson by almost 8 percentage points on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The defeat came in a Democratic wave that also cost Republicans control of both the House and Senate.
Why it matters
Collins's loss ends a long run of Maine Senate service and shifts the balance of power in the chamber. Her campaign pointed to national forces rather than local politics as the cause of the defeat.
Collins lost to Jackson by almost 8 percentage points, one of many Republican incumbents defeated in the Democratic wave. Her campaign had centered on seniority and a half-decade of earmarks totaling more than $1.5 billion.
The players
Susan Collins
A Republican U.S. senator from Maine who had served nearly 30 years in Washington and chaired or controlled the Appropriations Committee.
Troy Jackson
The Democratic candidate who defeated Collins in the Maine Senate race by almost 8 percentage points.
The details
Collins built her campaign on seniority, her role chairing or controlling the Appropriations Committee, and more than $1.5 billion in earmarks for home-state projects. In the final days before polls closed she sent county-specific text messages to voters.
Timeline
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Election day, when Collins lost to Jackson and Republicans lost House and Senate control.
Political Context
Collins lost in the same Democratic wave that defeated many Republican incumbents, which also flipped control of both the House and Senate. Her campaign manager attributed the outcome to bigger forces at play than local politics.
With Republicans losing control of both chambers, shifts in appropriations and earmark priorities could follow in Congress. Maine voters now have a new senator, changing who represents the state's federal funding requests.
The takeaway
Collins's defeat shows that long tenure and targeted federal funding were not enough to withstand a national shift in the electorate. Voters in similar races may weigh national party control more heavily than local seniority.
Further reading
For the broader national picture, see Elections coverage across the country.
Source note: This article includes information reported by POLITICO.
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