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Troy Jackson: Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine (2026) State: Maine | Seat: U.S. Senate, Class II — held by Republican Susan Collins (seeking a sixth term) | Party: Democratic | General Election: November 3, 2026 | Opponent: Susan Collins (R) At a Glance | Detail | Fact | |---|---| | Full name | Troy Dale Jackson | | Born | June 26, 1968, Fort Kent, Maine | | Age | 58 | | Party | Democratic (ran as a Republican in 2000; elected as an independent in 2002; joined the Democratic Party in 2004) | | Current status | Former President of the Maine Senate; Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate | | Education | Associate's degree in business, University of Maine at Fort Kent (2000) | | Career before politics | Logger — fifth-generation; worked 80-hour weeks cutting wood, driving trucks, and running heavy equipment | | Family | Lives in Allagash with his longtime partner, Lana; two grown sons; first granddaughter born September 2026 | | Political experience | Maine H...

Susan Collins: Republican Incumbent Senator from Maine (2026) State: Maine | Seat: U.S. Senate, Class II — Collins is seeking a sixth term | Party: Republican | General Election: November 3, 2026 | Opponent: Troy Jackson (D) At a Glance | Detail | Fact | |---|---| | Full name | Susan Margaret Collins | | Born | December 7, 1952, Caribou, Maine | | Age | 73 | | Party | Republican | | Current office | U.S. Senator from Maine (in office since January 3, 1997); Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee (since 2025) | | Education | B.A., St. Lawrence University (1975) | | Career before politics | Congressional aide; Maine state official; federal official; nonprofit director | | Family | Married Thomas Daffron since 2012; no children noted in public biographies | | Political experience | U.S. Senate (1997–present); elected 1996, reelected 2002, 2008, 2014, 2020; 1994 Republican nominee for governor of Maine | | Defining feature | Maine's longest-serving member of C...