Republican Sen. Susan Collins is digging in for another bruising Maine Senate fight, arguing that her long tenure and seniority make her the safer bet for federal dollars, police funding, and clout in Washington. Her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, is trying to turn the race into a referendum on cost of living, Donald Trump, and whether Collins has spent too many years in office without delivering enough relief.
With the final debate looming, the contest is razor-thin. A recent Suffolk University poll showed Jackson ahead by just two points, 49% to 47%, which is close enough to keep both campaigns on edge and every public remark under a microscope.
The race matters well beyond Maine. Democrats see it as one of their best chances to flip a Senate seat as they chase the majority, while Republican strategists point to Collins as a proven survivor in a state that leans blue in national elections.
Collins is leaning hard on experience, seniority, and the idea that power only matters if it can be used to help the state. She says her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee has helped steer money to Maine and gives her leverage that a freshman would not have.
“Maine voters lose out big time if Troy Jackson were to be elected,” Collins said in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday. She added that if Jackson were to replace her, “he’ll be 100 in seniority, and all of that essential federal funding targeted for the state of Maine, virtually all of it will go away.”
Jackson is countering with a very different argument. He says Collins talks a lot about influence but has not used it to shield families from rising energy, grocery, and housing costs, a message that is clearly aimed at frustrated voters looking for a break.
“Sen. Collins has told us how powerful she is,” Jackson said during their first debate. “But power means nothing if you won’t use it when the people may need it.”
The campaign has also become a familiar modern Senate brawl over Trump. Jackson and Democrats are trying to pin Collins to the former president, betting that his image remains a drag in Maine, while Collins says she has crossed him when she thought it was the right thing to do.
“That’s the choice on this stage – a senator who helps Donald Trump hurt Maine then tells us how concerned she is, or somebody who will stand up against him before another family in Maine has to pay the price,” Jackson said during Tuesday’s third debate.
Collins pushed back sharply on the idea that she is a Trump loyalist. “Troy and Chuck Schumer and their allies run ads saying that I’m somehow a puppet of the president. Believe me, that would come as a huge surprise to President Trump,” Collins told Fox News Digital.
She pointed to her opposition to some of Trump’s moves, including his tariff fight with Canada and his deal involving Vladimir Putin, and said she also opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill because of Medicaid cuts she believed would hurt Maine. That kind of argument is classic Collins, drawing a line between backing the White House when it fits and breaking with it when it does not.
Outside the partisan fireworks, Collins picked up a boost from the Maine chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, a nod she framed as proof that she has backed law enforcement with real dollars. She said she has secured $46 million for police and sheriff departments to improve equipment, buildings, and communications.
The law enforcement angle also feeds into another sharp line of attack from Collins, who is hammering Jackson over his ties to former Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner. Platner dropped out after a damaging report involving an allegation from a former girlfriend, and Collins says Jackson stuck close to him too long.
“Troy was Graham Platner’s biggest supporter and stayed with him to the very end of Graham’s campaign, and Graham repeatedly denigrated law enforcement,” Collins said. “I never heard Troy publicly condemn those disrespectful and horrible comments.”
Jackson’s campaign rejected the charge and moved quickly to keep the spotlight on Collins. It said Jackson is not a Democratic Socialist, does not support defunding the police, and asked Platner to leave the race once the scandal broke.
The back-and-forth has gotten even more personal as both sides trade claims about records, ideology, and who is really out of touch with Maine voters. Collins says Jackson is trying to hide behind loud attacks, while Jackson says Collins is trying to bury an unpopular record under decades of incumbency and polished messaging.
That tension is showing up in the way both camps are selling their candidate. Collins is presenting herself as a steady hand with deep Senate roots, while Jackson is casting himself as the outsider ready to tell Washington no and break the habits that have pushed costs higher.
Collins is also betting that history still works in her favor. She has survived tough Democratic challenges before, including a race six years ago when she was trailing in the polls before pulling away on Election Day, and her team clearly believes that same kind of late break can happen again.
For now, Maine is staring down another tight finish, another round of attack ads, and another debate that could move just enough votes to matter. In a state where every small shift can change the whole picture, neither side sounds like it is ready to blink.
