Maine's Senate and 2nd District House races test both parties in a closely watched midterm

Maine's U.S. Senate race has Democrat Troy Jackson with a slight polling lead over five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, with recent polls showing her a few points behind. Jackson, a former state senator, was drafted in July after Graham Platner, the party's original nominee, dropped out amid controversy. Collins, who has served 30 years in the Senate, is the only Republican among New England's 12 senators and 21 House members. Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby said Collins is strong on constituent services, and called Jackson's claim that she does not hold town halls hysterical. In the open 2nd District, Rep. Jared Golden, a former Marine and moderate Democrat who has served since 2019, is not running again. He had faced criticism from his party's base for siding with Republicans on some high-profile votes, and he lamented a decline in civility. State Auditor Matt Dunlap, a progressive Democrat, faces former GOP Gov. Paul LePage.

Right-leaning coverage, represented by a Fox News opinion column from David Marcus, focuses on Collins and what her race means for Republicans in New England. It quotes Libby defending Collins and discusses the future of centrist Republicanism, with Jackson's lead noted only briefly. The Christian Science Monitor, an alternative outlet, takes a different angle. It leads with the 2nd District contest between Dunlap and LePage and asks whether progressives can win outside cities. It treats the Senate race as background. Left-leaning outlets tracked by Crosswire had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had. The two sources agree on Jackson's polling position but disagree on emphasis: one centers Collins and the GOP, the other the House race and the Democratic left.