Troy Jackson, a former logger and the Democratic candidate, defeated Republican Susan Collins in Maine's Senate race, denying her a sixth term, according to The Guardian. Jackson had just 101 days to campaign after being nominated to replace his party's original candidate, and his win came amid a Democratic wave in Tuesday's elections.
Jackson's candidacy was founded on the withdrawal of Graham Platner, whose progressive populist platform generated real excitement before the emergence of serious sexual misconduct allegations. Platner denied the allegations but withdrew from the race. Jackson, an explicitly working-class candidate, entered the contest with little time to build a campaign.
Collins had been a fixture of Maine and Washington politics for three decades, had survived seemingly credible challenges before, and polls showed a close race. The result became clear late in the evening when, with about 60% of the ballots counted, returns showed Jackson with a convincing lead. Within minutes, MS Now reported that Collins had called to concede, and cheers and chants filled a ballroom at Portland's Holiday Inn.
Jackson, who emphasized his trade union background, told supporters his victory had been driven by grassroots discontent. He said Trump and the billionaires should understand one thing clearly about their new senator: he does not owe them a damn thing.