USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 January 2023Troy Jackson Defeats Susan Collins To End Nearly 30 Years In Maine Senate
“Jackson sought to break down Collins’ carefully crafted image as a moderate Republican”
“Collins pitched herself as a needed independent voice in the Senate”
Photo: ArenLeBrun, CC0 · Cropped for layout
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Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Susan Collins, taking Maine Senate seat after nearly 30 years. NBC News and AP projected Jackson with a decisive margin.
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Collins ousted in Maine
Democrat Troy Jackson defeated longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins in Maine to end nearly 30 years in the U.S. Senate, with the BBC describing the race as marked by controversy.
Jackson entered the race after replacing Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee who withdrew following a series of scandals, and Collins was first elected in 1996.
Collins was seeking a sixth term and she had cultivated a reputation as a moderate while trying to distance herself from President Donald Trump during her campaign.
The Associated Press, as carried by PBS, said the Associated Press declared Jackson the winner at 1:02 a.m. EST and said Collins conceded earlier to Jackson, ending her run for a sixth term.
Debates, concessions, and numbers
Troy Jackson told supporters at an election celebration in Portland, Maine, that "you brought me here and you will have someone who will fight for you in Washington, D.C.," as the Associated Press reported through El Nuevo Día.
Susan Collins acknowledged defeat in Maine to Democrat Troy Jackson, and Clarín said Collins acknowledged her defeat "after almost three decades in the Senate".
CryptoTicker.io put the vote at 53.8% to 46.1% with 85.5% tallied at 09:51 Central European Time, and it said NBC News declared Troy Jackson the winner with AP data.
NPR said Jackson defeated Collins for U.S. Senate in Maine, and it described the result as a big victory for Democrats in their push to win back the Senate majority.
What the shift means
Democrats flipped enough key seats in the Senate and House to take back both chambers of Congress from Republicans, and the shift would leave Democrats balancing accountability and affordability. Jackson’s victory allows Democrats an even larger majority in the US Senate, after wins in several key states including Texas and South Carolina gave them control of the chamber.
Jackson’s win makes him the first Democrat to represent Maine in the Senate since 1995, and the results bring Collins' nearly 30-year tenure in Congress to a close. Collins voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021, and she voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act, helping to save the health-care policy commonly referred to as Obamacare.