Embattled Republican Senator Faces Surprise Humiliation

The leading Democratic candidate to unseat Maine Sen. Susan Collins has a slight edge, a new poll has found.

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Troy Jackson, the 58-year-old progressive and former candidate for governor, hasn’t formally acquired his party’s nomination following Graham Platner’s exit, since that will be decided at a state convention on Saturday. But he is on track do so, after his delegates—selected at county meetings last weekend—far outnumber those of others the race, the New York Times reports.

According to a University of New Hampshire poll conducted July 15-20, 49 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Jackson, while 46 percent opted for Collins. Five percent were either undecided or chose another candidate.

Jackson had a larger edge among independents—46 percent to 42 percent.

A logger and former state lawmaker, Jackson was net-positive in terms of overall favorability—37 percent to 32 percent. Collins, on the other hand, was in the red—35 percent to 53 percent. Among independent voters, Jackson’s favorability was at -1, while Collins was at -28.

The poll has a margin of error of 2.8 percent.

Maine’s Senate seat, which Collins has held since 1997, is widely considered a battleground contest. If Democrats, who are a 47-53 minority in Senate, are to retake the chamber, doing so without winning Maine would be extremely unlikely.

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Collins, 73, on Tuesday addressed Jackson’s emergence as her likely challenger.

“I’ve known him for many, many years,” she told NBC News. “He has been around Augusta for like 20 years, and he’s from the same area of Maine that I’m from in northern Maine. He’s had quite a transformation over the years in his political views, but now seems to be firmly aligned with the democratic socialists.”

Jackson’s gubernatorial campaign was backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Jackson soon replied on X with an imitation of Collins, suggesting that she was “very concerned” about his candidacy.

Of the 13 Senate Republicans running for reelection, Collins is the only one representing a state Donald Trump lost in 2024.

Jackson, in another post, called attention to Tuesday’s poll, writing in part, “Working Mainers can’t afford six more years of ‘concern.’”

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The Daily Beast has contacted Collins’ office for comment.