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Who is Susan Collins and what is Collins running on in the 2026 Maine Senate race?
Susan Collins (R) is trailing in the 2026 Maine Senate race, with about a 43% chance of winning, according to Kalshi on Sept 28.
Mary Spio
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Susan Collins is the Republican candidate for Maine U.S. Senate, and the incumbent. U.S. Senator since 1997 and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; seeking a sixth term. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
The race
- The seat: Incumbent Susan Collins (R) seeking a 6th term. Democratic primary winner Graham Platner withdrew on July 10, 2026; Troy Jackson was nominated at the July 25 party convention.
- Rating: Toss-up (Cook, Sabato, Inside Elections, 2026).
- Polling: Polling average Jackson 47.5, Collins 45.2 (mid-Sept 2026); YouGov Jackson 48, Collins 44; Rasmussen Jackson 46, Collins 45; Quantus Insights (R) Collins 48, Jackson 47.
Why Collins is behind
- Maine has voted Democratic for president in every election since 1992, and Collins is the only GOP senator from a state Trump lost all three times; the national environment favors Democrats.
- Jackson narrowly leads the polling average (47.5 to 45.2).
- Collins has incumbency, a record of beating expectations (she won by 9 in 2020 while Biden carried Maine), and a big money edge: about $11M cash on hand vs Jackson starting at zero after his late nomination.
- Jackson attacks Collins’s votes for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Medicaid cuts, ICE funding) and Kavanaugh, while Collins casts him as a ‘Bernie bro’ socialist.
What Collins is running on
- Bipartisanship. Running on experience, seniority and independence, and on working across the aisle.
- Trump. Mixed record: did not vote for Trump in 2016 and voted to convict in 2021, but backed his tax-and-spending bill and most cabinet nominees, including RFK Jr.
- Immigration enforcement. Claims credit for getting DHS to limit federal immigration operations in Maine while supporting bipartisan homeland security funding.
- Opponent. Casts Jackson as ‘a Bernie bro’ whose positions align with socialism.
In Collins’s own words
“I have always worked across the aisle to solve problems. Maine needs experienced, steady leadership that focuses on getting things done.”
The other candidates
Every race
See every Senate and governor race on the ballot, with each candidate’s chance of winning: the 2026 midterms at a glance.
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