New England's Only Republican Senator Collins Faces Tight Maine Race as Democrat Jackson Leads Slightly in Polls

Republican Senator Susan Collins faces a tough contest for her Senate seat in the US state of Maine. Her opponent in the upcoming midterm elections is Democrat Troy Jackson, who holds a slight lead in the polls, according to the report.

The New England region comprises six states with more than 15 million people. The region elects 21 members of the House of Representatives and 12 senators, yet the only Republican in its entire congressional delegation is Maine Senator Susan Collins. She has served in the Senate for about 30 years.

Maine Republican state representative Laurel Libby spoke in Collins's defence. She told Fox News Digital that Collins is great on constituent services and goes out of her way to be in the community, adding that it is hysterical for Jackson to say Collins does not hold town halls, because Collins is out in the community constantly.

Libby also challenged Jackson's record. She claimed that during Jackson's time in the state Senate, electricity costs in Maine went up 70 percent, and that he supported a budget that went up 50 percent. In her words, Maine has seen what a Democratic trifecta in state government has done.

The report also spoke to a voter named Don in Bangor, Maine. The Vietnam veteran, in his late 70s, recently moved into Bangor from a nearby farm after his wife passed away. He said Democrats south of the state capital Augusta think everyone is made of money, and that it is really hurting normal folks.

Dan and Tess, a couple in their 30s visiting from Massachusetts, see Collins as a strong centrist voice for the region. Dan said it is a problem when every politician in New England is a Democrat, especially when the Democrats are out of power. Chris, also from Massachusetts, said the two sides are supposed to meet in the middle.

The contrast between the two candidates has also shown in their campaigns. Collins campaigned this week with former moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, while Jackson campaigned with far-left New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Libby said that is absolutely representative of what each would bring to the Senate — Collins has proven she can work in a bipartisan manner, while Jackson, in his time in the state Senate, did the opposite.

If Jackson manages to topple Collins, the report says, the message to Republicans in Maine and New England will be that centrism does not work. Nationally, some hardcore Republicans would welcome a Collins loss, but most in the party concede that holding the Senate for Trump's final two years in office outweighs the broader ideological fights.

Win, lose or draw for Collins, younger Republican politicians like Libby will have to define what a Republican is in Maine and New England in the future. If Maine Republicans can save Collins once again, it will show that the party can, at least in part, embrace moderate and centrist positions — a point that could play heavily as both parties try to define themselves for the post-Trump age.