Politics · ArchiveMaine Democrats Nominate Troy Jackson to Challenge Sen. Susan CollinsAired July 25, 2026 at 8:17 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Maine Democrats have their nominee for0:01one of the most closely watched Senate0:03races in the country.0:05Delegates at the state convention in0:06Bangor chose former state Senate0:08President Troy Jackson, a0:10fifth-generation logger from Allagash,0:12to take on 30-year Republican incumbent0:14Susan Collins. The vote was decisive,0:16566 to 5, after the previous frontrunner0:19withdrew from the race earlier this0:21month amid sexual assault allegations.0:23That collapse compressed the general0:25election campaign into a 101-day sprint,0:28and both parties see this race as0:29potentially decisive for control of the0:31US Senate.0:33Jackson comes from the small northern0:35Maine town of Allagash, population0:37roughly 240. He is a fifth-generation0:39logger who served as state Senate0:41President from 2018 to 2024. He calls0:44himself a pickup progressive, a0:46working-class ally of Vermont Senator0:47Bernie Sanders. His nomination0:49represents a sharp contrast with the0:51incumbent, Susan Collins, the0:53well-funded Republican who chairs the0:54powerful Appropriations Committee in0:56Washington. In his acceptance speech,0:58Jackson called for building what he0:59described as the largest working-class1:01movement Maine has ever seen. It is a1:03populist appeal aimed directly at the1:05economic anxieties of rural voters, a1:08demographic that has drifted toward1:09Republicans in recent cycles, but one1:12Jackson believes he can win back. The1:13fundraising numbers tell a stark story.1:16Jackson has raised over $1 million,1:18Susan Collins has raised $16 million, a1:2016-to-1 gap that underscores the1:22financial machine behind the incumbent.1:25Jackson will need to close that gap1:26quickly if he hopes to compete on1:27airwaves across the state. Jackson's1:29message is aimed squarely at working1:31families and rural communities, betting1:33that a populist economic platform can1:35overcome the institutional advantages of1:36a 30-year incumbent. The general1:38election is now 101 days away. Control1:41of the Senate could hinge on this race,1:43and with a pickup progressive carrying1:44the Democratic banner, Maine voters face1:47one of the clearest ideological choices1:49in the country this November.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗