Can Susan Collins Break Free of Trump in Maine?

WHO:

Fortune - Joe Manchin called Collins “the soul of the Senate” and described her as “a true blue-blooded Maine person who knows exactly where she came from.”

Fortune - Collins is 73 and is seeking a sixth term; Troy Jackson is 58.

Fortune - Mike Marcotte, a Collins supporter, said, “we need more people like Susan Collins.”

Bangor Daily News - Joe Manchin was a U.S. senator from West Virginia before leaving the Senate in 2025; he became an independent after serving as a Democrat.

Bangor Daily News - Six senators, including four Republicans, called on Trump to reverse his decision to buy Russian diesel.

Bangor Daily News - Collins voted against Todd Blanche for attorney general, saying the Justice Department had “become increasingly political.”

Boston.com News - Joe Manchin is Collins’s former Democratic colleague.

Vox - Susan Collins is a longtime Republican U.S. senator from Maine.

Vox - Troy Jackson is a Democrat and former president of Maine’s state Senate.

NBC News Politics - President Trump campaigned.

NBC News Politics - NBC’s Monica Alba, Sahil Kapur, Bridget Bowman, and Steve Kornacki, along with Jessica Taylor, the Cook Political Report’s Senate and Governors editor, discussed battleground states.

WHAT:

Fortune - Collins and Manchin made a later campaign stop at a New Balance shoe facility in Norway, Maine.

Fortune - Jackson raised more than $20 million in a quarter and trailed Collins in fundraising by less than $3 million.

Fortune - Collins said a Republican super PAC attack ad against Jackson “should be taken down.”

Fortune - Collins said she was “not exactly [Trump’s] favorite senator” and cited rallying opposition to Pete Hegseth’s nomination as an example of breaking with her party.

Fortune - At a debate, Jackson accused Collins of doing Trump’s bidding; Collins ultimately voted against a bill after voting to advance it.

Bangor Daily News - Manchin said the Trump administration “owns this economy” and must “face up to that”; he also said Democrats “paid the price” for Biden’s policies.

Bangor Daily News - Collins cited nearly $37 million in heating aid she pressed the administration to release and said she would be a check on the president.

Bangor Daily News - Collins said buying Russian diesel would not increase U.S. supply “in any measurable way” and would give Russia more money “to attack Ukraine.”

Bangor Daily News - Collins called Trump’s cancellation of nearly $1 billion in spending illegal and sought item-by-item tariff exemptions for pulp, concrete, and road salt.

Bangor Daily News - Collins and Manchin led the bipartisan overhaul of the Electoral Count Act in 2022.

Bangor Daily News - Manchin said he had told Chuck Schumer he was “crazy” to work against Collins.

CBS News Politics - Susan Collins campaigned with Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, as she sought to attract moderate voters and distance herself from President Trump.

Boston.com News - Collins enlisted Manchin to help highlight her independence.

Drudge Report - A related-story headline said Collins had served for 30 years and had promised to serve only 12.

Vox - Collins faced Jackson in a tight race.

Vox - Democrats were comfortably favored to win the House, while gaining control of the Senate was described as harder.

NBC News Politics - The participants discussed the state of the battleground states and how Collins could transcend Trump in Maine.

WHERE:

Fortune - Jackson was scheduled to campaign in Portland with New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Bangor Daily News - Collins and Manchin held a campaign stop at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston, Maine.

Vox - The Senate race was in Maine.

NBC News Politics - The discussion concerned battleground states, including Maine.

WHEN:

CBS News Politics - Collins campaigned with Manchin on a Wednesday.

Vox - The article described the midterm elections as two weeks away.

NBC News Politics - The article described election day as two weeks away.

WHY:

Fortune - Democrats’ ad connected Collins and Trump to a healthcare crisis, citing Collins’ vote on Medicaid cuts.

Vox - Maine was identified as a possible route for Democrats seeking control of the Senate.

HOW:

Fortune - Republican ads against Jackson focused on accusations that he had a volatile personality and bullied female colleagues; Jackson denied the allegations.

Boston.com News - Collins’s effort to highlight her independence was part of her campaign against Troy Jackson.

NBC News Politics - NBC journalists and Cook Political Report editor Jessica Taylor discussed the election outlook.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 04:09 UTC)

Susan Collins is campaigning for a sixth Senate term in Maine, facing Democrat Troy Jackson in a tight race that could help determine control of the Senate. To appeal to moderates and distinguish herself from President Trump, Collins campaigned with former Democratic colleague Joe Manchin, now an independent. At a stop in Lewiston, Manchin praised Collins as “the soul of the Senate,” while she pointed to disagreements with Trump, including her opposition to Pete Hegseth’s nomination. Collins also says she would serve as a check on the president, citing her work securing nearly $37 million in heating aid. Jackson has raised more than $20 million in a quarter, leaving him less than $3 million behind Collins. He has accused her of doing Trump’s bidding, while Collins urged Republicans to take down an attack ad against him. Jackson denies allegations that he bullied female colleagues.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 02:11 UTC)

Senator Susan Collins campaigned in Lewiston, Maine, with Joe Manchin, a former Democrat who became an independent, to emphasize her independence as she faces Democrat Troy Jackson in a tight race. Collins, a longtime Republican, is seeking moderate voters and trying to distinguish herself from President Trump. Manchin said the Trump administration “owns this economy” and must take responsibility, while arguing Democrats paid a price for President Biden’s policies. Collins pointed to nearly $37 million in heating assistance she pressed the administration to release and said she would serve as a check on the president. She also criticized Trump’s plan to buy Russian diesel, saying it would not meaningfully increase U.S. supply and would give Russia more money to attack Ukraine. Collins has opposed other administration actions, including canceled federal spending and tariffs. The race is being watched as a possible path for Democrats seeking control of the Senate.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 23:16 UTC)

Republican Senator Susan Collins is campaigning with Joe Manchin, her former Democratic colleague, as she faces a tight race in Maine against Democrat Troy Jackson. Collins is using Manchin, now an independent, to highlight her independence and appeal to moderate voters, while seeking to distance herself from President Trump. The race matters nationally because Maine could offer Democrats a path to control of the Senate, a goal described as more difficult than winning the House. Collins has served for 30 years, despite a past promise to serve only 12. The election outlook and battleground states, including Maine, were discussed by NBC journalists Monica Alba, Sahil Kapur, Bridget Bowman and Steve Kornacki, along with Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report. President Trump also campaigned as election day approached.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 20:21 UTC)

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins is emphasizing her independence in a tight race against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former president of the state Senate. To make that case, Collins enlisted Joe Manchin, her former Democratic colleague. The contest is drawing attention because Maine could offer Democrats a route to Senate control, though that goal is considered harder than winning the House. Democrats are comfortably favored to take the House, while the Senate remains more difficult to flip. NBC journalists Monica Alba, Sahil Kapur, Bridget Bowman and Steve Kornacki joined Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report to discuss battleground states, including Maine. They also considered whether Collins can distinguish herself from President Trump in her state. A related headline noted that Collins had served for 30 years after promising to serve only 12.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 17:24 UTC)

Maine’s Senate race is shaping up as a tight contest between longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson, a former president of the state Senate. The race matters nationally because Maine could offer Democrats a path to Senate control, even as they are comfortably favored to win the House. Winning the Senate is expected to be more difficult. Collins has served for 30 years, despite a reported promise to serve only 12. The campaign is unfolding amid broader questions about how battleground states may shape the election. President Trump campaigned, and NBC journalists Monica Alba, Sahil Kapur, Bridget Bowman and Steve Kornacki discussed the outlook with Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report. Their discussion included whether Collins can distinguish herself from Trump among Maine voters.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 12:03 UTC)

A tight Senate race in Maine pitted longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins against Democrat Troy Jackson, a former president of the state Senate, and the state was seen as a possible path for Democrats to gain control of the chamber. Democrats were comfortably favored to win the House, while their Senate prospects were considered more difficult. NBC journalists and Cook Political Report editor Jessica Taylor discussed battleground states and whether Collins could separate herself from President Trump.