A new poll shows Republican Sen. Susan Collins with a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in Maine’s closely watched U.S. Senate race, a contest with major implications for control of the Senate and for Maine voters heading into next year’s midterm elections.
The New York Times/Siena poll, conducted Sept. 15–22 in collaboration with the Portland Press Herald and sponsored in part by the Maine Trust for Local News, found Collins at 49% support among likely voters, with Jackson at 46% and 5% undecided. The three-point margin falls within the poll’s margin of error, meaning the race remains statistically close.
Collins is seeking a sixth six-year term. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and fifth-generation logger from Aroostook County, is the Democratic nominee. The poll is one of the first to show Collins ahead of Jackson since he entered the race in late July, replacing former nominee Graham Platner.
How Jackson Entered the Race
Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer, had won the June Democratic primary in a landslide but dropped out a month later after a report surfaced containing a rape allegation from a woman he had previously dated. Platner denied the allegation but stepped aside. At the time, Collins had slightly trailed Platner in most polling.
Jackson, who had campaigned alongside Platner earlier this year during his own unsuccessful run for governor, won a special nominating convention to fill the vacant Senate nomination.
Corruption Claims Fly on Both Sides
The poll’s release coincided with Collins pushing back against a ProPublica report alleging the FBI had sought to launch a pay-to-play investigation examining Collins and others. That investigation was later dropped, and no one working for Collins was charged. Collins called the report
