The 2026 Maine Senate race: Troy Jackson vs. Susan Collins

Active · last development Sep 27, 2026: “Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision”

What this arc covers

The 2026 general election for Maine's U.S. Senate seat between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson: the campaigns, endorsements and polls, and the controversies, including Collins's tremor disclosure, the Maine ICE shooting, and reporting on a pay-to-play allegation and an FBI inquiry involving her campaign.

Photo from The Boston Globe, with Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision (Sep 27, 2026), the story with the most independent sources this week.

Earliest story we hold Nov 14, 2024 · 23 stories · 69 independent sources (counted once each) · 682 days

Part ofSusan CollinsMaineUnited States SenateDemocratic PartyProPublicaGraham PlatnerFederal Bureau of InvestigationUnited States National Institutes of Health

Part of The 2026 Maine Senate race

  1. Troy Jackson vs. Susan CollinsThis arcNov 14, 2024 – Sep 27, 2026
  2. Graham Platner's Democratic primary winSep 3, 2025 – Jun 9, 2026
  3. Platner's exit and Troy Jackson's nominationJul 6 – Sep 2, 2026

Part of The 2026 Senate races

  1. The 2026 Maine Senate race: Troy Jackson vs. Susan CollinsThis arcNov 14, 2024 – Sep 27, 2026
  2. The 2026 Ohio Senate race: Jon Husted vs. Sherrod BrownJan 15, 2025 – Sep 27, 2026
  3. The 2026 Florida Senate race: Ashley Moody vs. Angie NixonJan 16, 2025 – Sep 19, 2026
  4. The 2026 Kentucky Senate race to succeed Mitch McConnellFeb 20, 2025 – Jan 19, 2026
  5. The 2026 New Hampshire Senate race: Chris Pappas vs. John E. SununuMar 12, 2025 – Sep 9, 2026
  6. The 2026 Michigan Senate race: Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike RogersApr 14, 2025 – Sep 23, 2026
  7. The 2026 Illinois Senate race to succeed Dick DurbinApr 23, 2025 – Mar 18, 2026
  8. The 2026 Minnesota Senate race: Peggy Flanagan vs. Michele TafoyaApr 29, 2025 – Aug 12, 2026
Show remaining 11 arcs
  1. The 2026 Georgia Senate race: Jon Ossoff vs. Mike CollinsMay 5, 2025 – Sep 29, 2026
  2. The 2026 Nebraska Senate race: Pete Ricketts vs. Dan OsbornJul 8, 2025 – Sep 16, 2026
  3. The 2026 North Carolina Senate race: Roy Cooper vs. Michael WhatleyJul 24, 2025 – Sep 28, 2026
  4. The 2026 Iowa Senate race: Josh Turek vs. Ashley HinsonAug 29, 2025 – Sep 23, 2026
  5. The 2026 Wyoming Senate race to succeed Cynthia LummisDec 19, 2025 – Aug 19, 2026
  6. The 2026 Alaska Senate race: Dan Sullivan vs. Mary PeltolaJan 12 – Sep 24, 2026
  7. The 2026 Louisiana Senate race: Bill Cassidy's primary defeatJan 18 – Jun 27, 2026
  8. The 2026 Texas Senate race: James Talarico vs. Ken PaxtonApr 28 – Sep 25, 2026
  9. The 2026 Massachusetts Senate race: Ed Markey vs. Seth MoultonMay 30 – Sep 4, 2026
  10. The 2026 Kansas Senate race: Roger Marshall vs. Adam HamiltonAug 5 – Sep 28, 2026
  11. The 2026 South Carolina Senate race: Darline Graham vs. Annie AndrewsSep 11 – Sep 27, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Sep 27– 292026Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision15 articles · 14 independent sources
1 left, 4 center, 1 right
Sep 24– 252026Collins leads Maine Senate race by 3 points: Survey15 articles · 11 independent sources
3 left, 3 center, 5 right
Sep 232026FBI Accused Of Shutting Down Investigation Into Alleged Wrongdoing By Susan Collins’ Campaign Staff2 articles · 2 independent sources
0 left, 0 center, 1 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Feb 10, 2026Susan Collins announces reelection bid in pivotal Maine Senate race15 articles · 15 independent sources
  2. Sep 14 – 15, 2026Joe Manchin says he supports Republican candidates in battleground Senate races in Maine and Michigan16 articles · 15 independent sources
  3. Sep 22 – 25, 2026ProPublica debunks Susan Collins’ claims about FBI anti-corruption probe28 articles · 21 independent sources
    1. Sep 22, 2026The FBI anti-corruption squad was circling Susan Collins — until Trump got in the way
    2. Sep 22, 2026Democrats accuse Susan Collins of 'corruption' following report on alleged pay-to-play scheme
  4. Sep 22 – 24, 2026Maine Democrats criticize Susan Collins over reported allegations of pay-to-play scheme20 articles · 20 independent sources
  5. Sep 27 – 29, 2026Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision15 articles · 14 independent sources

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Nov 2024Mar 2025Aug 2025Dec 2025May 2026Sep 2026

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Nov 11, 20242136
Feb 9, 202635314
May 4, 202680313
Jul 13, 202666732
Jul 20, 20263118
Jul 27, 202613923
Aug 3, 20261018
Aug 10, 202624613
Aug 24, 202622113
Aug 31, 20262104
Sep 14, 202622216
Sep 21, 20261411880
Sep 28, 20262103

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

33% left · 35% center · 32% right of 69 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 23 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. November 2024

    Nov 14– 15Maine Republican Susan Collins plans to run for sixth term in U.S. Senate6 articles · 6 independent sources
    2 left, 1 center, 3 right

  2. February 2026

    Feb 10Susan Collins announces reelection bid in pivotal Maine Senate race15 articles · 15 independent sources
    3 left, 5 center, 3 right

  3. May 2026

    May 7– 8Republican Sen. Susan Collins discloses her longtime tremor after scrutiny in Maine’s Senate race14 articles · 14 independent sources
    8 left, 0 center, 3 right

  4. July 2026

    Jul 13Susan Collins Faces Backlash After Deadly Maine ICE Shooting8 articles · 8 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 5 right
  5. Jul 14– 17Maine ICE shooting puts Sen. Susan Collins in a political bind17 articles · 12 independent sources
    3 left, 2 center, 1 right
  6. Jul 19– 22Jackson leading Collins in Maine Senate race survey15 articles · 11 independent sources
    4 left, 4 center, 2 right
  7. Jul 27– 29Kamala Harris endorses Democrat Troy Jackson, in Maine's US Senate race after last-minute nomination14 articles · 14 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 1 right
  8. Jul 30– Aug 2Maine Dem Senate candidate Troy Jackson fathered two kids with his second cousin: report8 articles · 8 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 8 right

  9. August 2026

    Aug 8– 10How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to the Democratic nominee for Senate against Susan Collins9 articles · 9 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 1 right
  10. Aug 12– 14Maine Democrat Jackson acknowledges punching man in 1988; he and partner dismiss pushing allegation8 articles · 8 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 5 right
  11. Aug 12– 13Maine voters say Susan Collins votes with Trump too often in Fox News poll4 articles · 4 independent sources
    2 left, 1 center, 1 right
  12. Aug 24JD Vance casts 2026 midterms as fight against socialism during Maine visit5 articles · 4 independent sources
    2 left, 1 center, 1 right
  13. Aug 26Abortion rights group endorses Democrat Troy Jackson in critical Maine Senate race9 articles · 9 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 0 right

  14. September 2026

    Sep 1– 2Troy Jackson leans into town halls as an attack on Susan Collins2 articles · 1 independent sources
    1 left, 0 center, 0 right
  15. Sep 2– 3Troy Jackson tries to tap town hall magic that propelled Graham Platner’s Senate bid2 articles · 2 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 0 right
  16. Sep 14– 15Joe Manchin says he supports Republican candidates in battleground Senate races in Maine and Michigan16 articles · 15 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 2 right
  17. Sep 21Susan Collins Warns Trump on NIH Grant Plan as Polls Show Tight Maine Race2 articles · 2 independent sources
    1 left, 1 center, 0 right
  18. Sep 22– 25ProPublica debunks Susan Collins’ claims about FBI anti-corruption probe28 articles · 21 independent sources
    11 left, 3 center, 1 right
  19. Sep 22– 24Maine Democrats criticize Susan Collins over reported allegations of pay-to-play scheme20 articles · 20 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 1 right
  20. Sep 23Discredited Activists At ProPublica Cite Other Discredited Activists To Concoct Susan Collins Hit Piece2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  21. Sep 23FBI Accused Of Shutting Down Investigation Into Alleged Wrongdoing By Susan Collins’ Campaign Staff2 articles · 2 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 1 right
  22. Sep 24– 25Collins leads Maine Senate race by 3 points: Survey15 articles · 11 independent sources
    3 left, 3 center, 5 right
  23. Sep 27– 29Supreme Court vote shadows Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her first race after abortion rights decision15 articles · 14 independent sources
    1 left, 4 center, 1 right