5NOV

Susan Collins concedes to Troy Jackson

1 min read

00:50UTC

Senator Susan Collins conceded Maine's Senate race to Troy Jackson, who won 53.6% of first choices, FairVote reported from AP results.

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Key takeaway

Collins conceded Maine to Troy Jackson, who cleared a first-choice majority.

Senator Susan Collins conceded Maine's Senate race to Troy Jackson, who won 53.6% of first choices, FairVote reported from AP results⁠¹. Maine counts its federal races by ranked choice, in which the last-placed candidates are eliminated and their ballots redistributed; Jackson's first-choice majority means no further rounds are needed. The Maine Standard, a committee funded entirely by the Senate Leadership Fund, had spent $3.75m against Jackson by 30 September.

Further down the ballot, Paul LePage, the former Republican governor, leads Maine's 2nd District by 702 votes on the same results⁠².

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Maine elected Democrat Troy Jackson to the US Senate after Republican Senator Susan Collins conceded. Maine uses ranked-choice voting, in which voters number candidates in order of preference, but Jackson won more than half of first choices outright, so no further counting rounds were needed. In one of Maine's two House districts, the 2nd, Republican former governor Paul LePage holds a narrow lead.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

Maine counts federal races by ranked choice, so a candidate needs a majority rather than a plurality. Jackson cleared it on first choices, which left Collins no path through later rounds.

Republican-side money reached Maine through a state-named committee: The Maine Standard, funded entirely by the Senate Leadership Fund, spent against Jackson from September.

What could happen next?

Consequence
Collins's departure removes one of the few Republican senators who often voted across party lines.

Sources:NBC News·FairVote

Mentions:Troy Jackson →Susan Collins →Paul LePage →FairVote →Maine →Senate Leadership Fund →Jared Golden →The Maine Standard →Maine's 2nd District →US Senate →Democratic Party →Associated Press →

First Reported In

Update #23 · Democrats take the Senate and the House

NBC News· 5 Nov 2026

Read original →

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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.