The leading Democratic candidate to unseat Maine Sen. Susan Collins has a slight edge, a new poll has found.
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 in the race, the New York Times reports.
If Jackson indeed becomes the nominee, he’ll start the general election campaign in a good position.
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.
The Maine 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.
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 re-election, 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.’”
The Daily Beast has contacted Collins’ office for comment.
Collins has been under scrutiny after a 26-year-old man was killed in an ICE-involved shooting in Maine earlier this month. One eyewitness said the man was killed in front of his 3-year-old daughter.
Following the shooting, protesters swarmed Collins’ office in Biddeford, Maine, chanting “Vote her out.” Collins had come under fire for “her role in enabling ICE to operate without accountability,” according to Maine Democrats.
In May, Collins revealed she has a health condition which she never disclosed during five terms in office. She made the announcement after an “unboxing” video released in February, where viewers sounded the alarm on her constant trembling.
In an interview with News Center Maine, the senator revealed that she had been diagnosed with an “extremely common condition,” calling it a “benign essential tremor” that she treats with medication.
“I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” Collins said. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each day.”
