Republican Senator Susan Collins conceded the Maine Senate race to Democrat Troy Jackson on Tuesday, handing Democrats a major gain in one of the most competitive contests of the US midterm elections, Reuters reported.
Collins, first elected in 1996, had repeatedly held on as a moderate Republican in a state that has not backed a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. This year, however, economic pressures helped Jackson overcome his late entry into the race.
The Iran war pushed up the price of fuel and home heating oil, a particularly sensitive issue in a largely rural state known for harsh winters. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada hurt tourism, lobster fishing, logging and other mainstays of Maine’s economy.
Jackson, 58, a former president of the state Senate, stressed his blue-collar roots as a fifth-generation logger from the remote town of Allagash. He campaigned on universal healthcare and other populist policies, winning the backing of prominent progressives such as Senator Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont.
He took an unusual route to the Senate. He first ran for governor but finished third in a crowded Democratic primary in June. In July, Democrats chose him as their Senate candidate to replace Graham Platner, a former Marine and oysterman who withdrew after facing rape allegations, which he denied.
Republicans held a 53-47 majority in the Senate going into the election, and Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to win back control of the chamber.
(Reuters)
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