Troy Jackson defeats Susan Collins in Maine Senate race ending her bid for a sixth term

Troy Jackson may not have been the Democrats’ first choice to take on longtime Maine Sen. Susan Collins this November, but, on Tuesday, he turned out to be the person who could defeat the five-term incumbent and claim the seat his party has long coveted.

What they're saying:

"For every family doing everything they can and wondering when somebody is going to do something for them, you have gotten me into this and you’re going to have someone who is fighting for you in Washington, D.C.," Jackson told the crowd at an election night party in Portland.

The other side:

Collins, 73, was widely perceived as the most vulnerable Senate Republican this election year. She entered Election Day as the only Republican lawmaker in Congress from New England and was seeking her sixth term representing a state that has voted for the Democratic candidate for president since 1992.

"It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of Maine in the United States Senate. I’m proud of all I have been able to accomplish for our state and for our country in the past 30 years," Collins said in a statement after calling Jackson to concede.

Big picture view:

Jackson’s victory comes after a headlong sprint to Election Day that began when he was tapped to replace Democratic primary winner Graham Platner, who dropped out after a sexual assault allegation. 

The win also gives Democrats a key win in the battle for control of the Senate and a valuable vote in a chamber where the difference between parties is often narrow. By taking this seat, the party may have picked up one that it could potentially hold for years, as Collins was the sole remaining Republican senator left from New England.

RELATED: Live election results: Senate & House balance of power, governor’s races

The backstory:

Taking over for the Democrats’ original nominee Graham Platner over the summer, Jackson had almost exactly 100 days to woo voters and win their support. To do so, the former state lawmaker and fifth-generation logger leaned on his rural roots and a populist, labor-focused message. 

He also strove to paint Collins as a "rubber stamp" for President Donald Trump and highlighted her votes to support the confirmations of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as examples. 

Collins, who has crafted her image as an independent and centrist, pushed back on that claim and cited instances where she broke with the president on issues including immigration, tariffs, and the war with Iran. The senator said that she had opposed Trump more often than she opposed former President Joe Biden.

Democrats’ original candidate

Jackson’s selection to represent his party on the ballot came more than a month after the state’s primary. While Collins faced an easy road through to Election Day, the Democratic fight was much more fierce and was only resolved after Gov. Janet Mills yielded to opponent Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran who proved to be a more combative candidate and went on to secure the nomination. 

Platner faced multiple controversies that included having a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol and online postings that appeared dismissive of sexual assault. Shortly before the June 9 primary, reports emerged of sexually explicit messages sent to other women while he was still married as well as allegations that he became physical with a previous girlfriend. In July, Platner dropped out after Politico reported a sexual assault allegation. 

Dig deeper:

Collins’ seat was often seen as key for Democratic hopes of regaining control of the Senate this fall. Democrats already control both chambers of the Maine Legislature as well as the key statewide elected offices. In fact, the centrist Republican had survived multiple well-funded efforts to oust her. In her last race, Collins was also a main target of Democrats, and she ended up winning that race by nearly 9 percentage points.

Democrats went into Tuesday needing to gain four seats overall to take control of the Senate.

The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press, Reuters, and previous coverage. This story was reported from Orlando.