AP reported that Collins conceded defeat to Jackson in Maine — TIME

The Associated Press reported that Republican Senator Susan Collins conceded defeat to Democrat Troy Jackson in the U.S. Senate election in Maine. Jackson himself declared victory early Wednesday morning. At the same time, AP has not yet called the winner of the race. TIME reports.

Democratic candidate

Jackson, 58, is a former logger and longtime Maine state legislator. He became the Democratic Party’s candidate after oyster harvester Graham Platner withdrew from the race in mid-summer amid allegations of sexual assault. Platner called them categorically false.

Jackson lives in the village of Allagash in the northern part of the state, which has a population of about 230 people. In his short campaign, he criticized the Republicans’ economic policies, linked Collins to her party and President Donald Trump, and called for measures intended to make life more affordable.

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The candidate also said that he grew up in a poor family and began working in logging at the age of 19. In 2002, he was elected to Maine’s legislature and later became president of the state Senate. Jackson supports labor unions and, during his U.S. Senate campaign, advocated, among other things, for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Medicare for All.

Tight race

In the final weeks of the campaign, polls showed the candidates nearly tied. Collins reminded voters about the funding and projects she had brought to the state as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Jackson, in turn, argued that these benefits did not offset the economic pressure caused by Republican policies supported by the senator.

Collins is the longest-serving Republican senator and the longest-serving current member of Congress from Maine. In 2020, she was reelected by a margin of nine percentage points, although Joe Biden won the state by the same margin. Some voters who had previously supported Collins told TIME that they consider her less independent than at the beginning of her political career and want to hand control of Congress to Democrats.