Maine Senate Election 2026
Susan Collins (R) is running. Rating: Toss-up.
Status: upcoming. Election day is November 3, 2026.
Candidates
| Candidate | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Jackson | Democratic | Former Maine Senate president |
| Susan Collins (incumbent) | Republican | Senator since 1997 |
Polls
| Date | Pollster | Troy Jackson | Susan Collins |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 14, 2026 | InsiderAdvantage (R) | 49% | 47% |
| October 11, 2026 | Suffolk | 49% | 47% |
| October 8, 2026 | Rasmussen (R) | 49% | 47% |
| October 5, 2026 | Washington Post–Schar | 50% | 46% |
| October 4, 2026 | Marist | 51% | 47% |
| October 1, 2026 | Trafalgar (R) | 46% | 46% |
| October 1, 2026 | CBS/YouGov | 50% | 50% |
| September 30, 2026 | co/efficient (R) | 46% | 48% |
| September 29, 2026 | Maine People's Resource Ctr (D) | 49% | 47% |
| September 23, 2026 | InsiderAdvantage (R) | 46% | 46% |
| September 22, 2026 | Impact (D)/Fabrizio (R) | 50% | 47% |
| September 22, 2026 | NYT/Siena | 46% | 49% |
| September 21, 2026 | Univ. of New Hampshire | 51% | 47% |
| September 15, 2026 | Quantus (R) | 47% | 48% |
| September 14, 2026 | UMass Lowell | 48% | 43% |
Average of the 10 most recent polls: Troy Jackson 48.5%, Susan Collins 47.1%. Polls are snapshots, not predictions.
Where the candidates stand
Troy Jackson (D)
- Wants a federal right to abortion and points to the Maine abortion-access law he helped pass. (Oct 2026) source
- Supports Medicare for All and says he would cosponsor the bill. (Oct 2026) source
- Would raise taxes on billionaires and large corporations, including lifting the Social Security payroll cap. (Oct 2026) source
- Backs the PRO Act to make it easier to form unions; extended bargaining rights to loggers and haulers in Maine. (Oct 2026) source
- Opposed same-sex marriage in 2009, later said he regretted it, and now backs LGBTQ+ protections including the Equality Act. (2026-07-20) source
- Argues the Trump tariffs are raising costs for Mainers. (2026-10-07) source
- Calls the Iran war foolish and illegal; wants congressional oversight and diplomacy. (2026-08-05) source
- Voted to raise Maine's minimum wage to $15 with cost-of-living increases. (2023) source
- Opposes banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. (2026-04-17) source
- Supported Maine's 2025 red-flag law ballot question. (2025-10-07) source
- Calls for abolishing ICE and replacing it with a civilian immigration agency. (Oct 2026) source
- Calls the war in Gaza a genocide and would end U.S. funding for Israel's military. (Oct 2026) source
- Would ban members of Congress from trading stocks. (Oct 2026) source
Susan Collins (R)
- Supports abortion rights and introduced a bill to codify them with religious-objection protections, but voted against a broader 2022 abortion-rights bill. (2026-10) source
- Voted to expand background checks and to support state red-flag laws. (2022) source
- Opposes parts of the Trump tariffs and sought exemptions for Maine products; voted with Democrats to end tariffs on Canadian goods. (2026-10-07) source
- Voted in March 2026 against limiting the president's war powers on Iran, then voted for the June resolution to end U.S. hostilities. (2026-06-23) source
- Voted for the 2017 tax cuts but against extending them in 2025. (2025) source
- Introduced a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $11 by 2028, indexed to inflation. (2023) source
- Voted to restore federal employees' bargaining rights and sponsored a bill to undo Trump's order limiting them. (2025) source
- Mixed record: sponsored a ban on drilling in the Gulf of Maine but voted against the 2022 clean energy investments. (2026-10) source
- Introduced the bill giving federal recognition to same-sex and interracial marriages. (2022-12-13) source
- Voted for a federal ban on transgender athletes in women's sports. (2025) source
- Has co-sponsored a path to citizenship for people brought to the U.S. as children. (Senate record) source
Sources
- 2026 United States Senate elections (Wikipedia)
- Latest Senate polls (RealClearPolling)
- 2026 election polls (Political.org)
- Cook Political Report Senate ratings
- The Green Papers: 2026 candidates by state
- Cook Political Report Senate overview: South Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota (Oct. 20, 2026)
- Midterm Elections in Ohio, October 2026 (Marist Poll)
- Midterm Elections in Michigan, October 2026 (Marist Poll)
Ratings, candidates and polls last updated October 24, 2026. Ratings are expert forecasts, not results.