11NOV

Susan Collins concedes to Troy Jackson

1 min read

18:10UTC

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

First Reported In

Update #23 · Democrats take the Senate and the House

NBC News· 5 Nov 2026

Read original →

Causes and effects

This Event

Susan Collins concedes to Troy Jackson

Collins's concession gives Democrats Maine's Senate seat outright, with no ranked-choice rounds needed.

Led to

Dunlap concedes Maine's 2nd to LePage

LePage's polling-night lead in Maine's 2nd District ended in Dunlap's concession.

Occurred 5 Nov 2026

Read story →

Different Perspectives

University of Florida Election Lab

The lab, run by Michael McDonald, estimates about 124.3 million ballots, a raw midterm record, and turnout of about 49.4% of eligible voters, second to 2018's 50.05%. The raw record reflects population growth more than a record rate, so the late count is working through a near-2018 electorate.

Thune's critics on the right, including Senator Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson backed the failed 31-15 motion to delay Thune's re-election, after activists such as Mike Cernovich blamed the leader for the defeat. Their complaint is that Republicans could have passed the SAVE Act; in January it meets a Democratic Senate instead.

Senator John Thune

Thune was re-elected Senate Republican leader by acclamation on 10 November after a motion to delay failed 31-15. He kept the filibuster that stopped the SAVE Act, the choice his critics on the right blame for the defeat.

House Republicans under Jim Jordan

House Republicans elected Jordan minority leader by 106 votes to 73 over Steve Scalise on 10 November, after Speaker Mike Johnson declined to run. They replaced the leadership that lost the majority, while Senate Republicans kept theirs.

Donald Trump

Trump asked on Truth Social on 9 November whether anybody believed the election "was honest" and blamed the machines, having told The New York Times on polling night he would accept the results. No Republican campaign had sued over a 2026 result by 10 November, so the claim has no case behind it.

Judge David O. Carter

Carter closed the Justice Department's suit over about 20,000 California mail ballots on 10 November after the department withdrew it, writing that the suit "attempted to disrupt an ongoing election". The closure leaves the department with no court order touching a 2026 California ballot.

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