Maine Senate 

Share

Latest news on the Maine Senate, covering the Maine Senate race, Maine senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Democrat Troy Jackson, midterms and election results, ranked-choice voting, campaign spending, the Maine State Senate in Augusta, and the contest for the Senate majority between Democrats and Republicans.

Maine sends two senators to Washington, each serving a six-year term. Susan Collins, a Republican who first took office in 1997, rose to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee and built a reputation for breaking with her party on key votes. Angus King, an independent first elected in 2012, caucuses with the Democrats and next faces voters in 2030.

In the midterm elections of 3 November 2026, Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger and Maine state senator, was projected to defeat Collins, ending her long run in the seat. Democrats had chosen Jackson as their nominee after the original nominee stood aside, and the race set a Maine record for campaign spending. Debate continues over the role of outside money, the pull of national politics in a state that often splits its ticket, and what the result means for the Senate majority.

Maine politics is intensely local. Candidates court voters at diners, town halls and fairs across a largely rural state shaped by forestry, fishing, tourism and an ageing population, where health care, energy costs and housing dominate the debate. Maine has used ranked-choice voting in its congressional elections since 2018, so voters can rank candidates in order of preference. Closer to home, the 35-member Maine State Senate meets in Augusta, with members elected every two years, and its votes on budgets and bills also make news.

Maine has a long tradition of independent-minded senators. Margaret Chase Smith, elected in 1948, became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress and later spoke out against McCarthyism. Edmund Muskie, George Mitchell, William Cohen and Olympia Snowe also rose to national prominence, and King continues the state's habit of sending independents to Washington.

The NewsNow Maine Senate feed brings together the latest headlines on Susan Collins, Angus King, Troy Jackson, Senate race results, Maine senators, state Senate votes in Augusta and the wider fight for the Senate majority, from reliable sources, so you can follow Maine politics in one place.