Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly thinks that Democrat Troy Jackson has a “real shot” of unseating U.S. Sen. Susan Collins this November.
The Arizona Democrat made that comment during a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
Kelly told ABC’s Martha Raddatz that Collins, a Republican, has “almost at every turn enabled” President Donald Trump and failed to use her seniority and position on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to subject his administration to “necessary accountability.”
Last week, Collins described the Trump administration’s last-minute spending cuts as “illegal.”
“And I think Troy Jackson is like a regular guy. People get him. They understand him. I know he’s working hard. And I think he has a real shot to win this race,” Kelly said.
The retired astronaut and naval officer suggested he may stump for Democrats in Maine in the coming weeks.
Kelly’s comments came after dueling polls showed how tight this November’s contest between Jackson and Collins may be.
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One poll gave a 3-point edge to Collins, her first lead in public polling since Jackson became his party’s nominee after Graham Platner dropped out in July when an ex-girlfriend accused him of rape.
Two other polls released the same day gave Jackson 4-point and 5-point leads over Collins.
It will be an uphill battle for Democrats to unseat Collins, who officially announced her historic bid for a sixth term in February. The Republican has handily beaten back challengers, including in 2020 when she defied polls and expectations to secure a fifth term in the Senate. But Collins, who has been ranked the country’s most bipartisan senator and relied on cross-party appeal to carry her to victory, has seen her popularity slump since Trump’s first term in the White House.
If Collins is successful in winning a sixth term, she would be Maine’s longest-serving U.S. senator.