Democrat Troy Jackson has defeated five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, ending her nearly three-decade tenure in the US Senate and handing Democrats a crucial Republican-held seat.
The race was called for Mr Jackson around midnight after he led with 52 per cent of the vote to Ms Collins’s 47 per cent, with 67 per cent of ballots counted, according to the Associated Press.
Ms Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997, had been the longest-serving active Republican woman in the Senate. The result also ended her hopes of becoming the longest-serving senator in the state’s history.
She conceded in a brief conversation with Mr Jackson shortly after the contest was called.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate,” Ms Collins said in a statement. “I’m proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years.”
Mr Jackson celebrated the result at an election night gathering in Portland, telling supporters: “We did it. Working people did it. I’m so damn proud to be standing here with you all tonight…or this morning, I guess, now.”
Troy Jackson victory strengthens Democrats in the Senate
The Republican Party entered the election with a 53-47 Senate majority. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take power, given that Vice President JD Vance would break any 50-50 tie.
Mr Jackson’s victory was among a series of Republican-held seats Democrats flipped during the night, including contests in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kansas, Iowa and Texas. The result gave Democrats at least 53 seats in the Senate.
Democrats will now have greater leverage in negotiations with President Donald Trump over federal budgets, priorities and policies.
Ms Collins was the only Republican senator on the ballot this year in a state carried by former vice president Kamala Harris in 2024. Mr Trump had criticised her in January, writing that she “should never be elected to office again” after she voted to rein in his military powers following a US operation in Venezuela.
Ms Collins also broke with Mr Trump on major votes during his second term, opposing Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defence secretary and voting against the final passage of his One Big Beautiful Bill.
The campaign was unusually compressed for Mr Jackson, a logger and local lawmaker. He entered the race after former Democratic candidate Graham Platner withdrew in July following sexual assault allegations, which he denied.
Delegates at a Democratic Party convention in Bangor selected Mr Jackson as the replacement on July 25, leaving him 101 days to challenge a senator who had defeated every Democrat put forward against her since 1996.
Mr Jackson had also recently lost the Democratic primary for governor to Hannah Pingree before being chosen as the party’s candidate against Ms Collins.
The contest became increasingly hostile in its final days, when a Republican super PAC aired a radio jingle describing Mr Jackson as a “freak” and a “creep”. Ms Collins said the advertisement should be withdrawn.
Both campaigns attracted substantial funding. Mr Jackson raised $26.9 million in barely three months, while Ms Collins raised $22.5 million over the full election cycle, according to federal filings through October 14. Republican super PACs and non-profit groups spent about $126 million in an unsuccessful effort to retain the seat.
Pre-election polling had shown a close contest, with surveys variously giving Mr Jackson a narrow lead or Ms Collins a marginal advantage. Ms Collins had also pointed to her position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and her perceived ability to secure federal funding for Maine.
