Maine poll puts Troy Jackson narrowly ahead of Susan Collins
CBS News examines whether Collins' electoral record can withstand voter concerns about Trump, fuel costs and control of the Senate.
CBS News
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 931,284 views a day, 33 times a normal first day on this channel (28,456).
Jackson pulls ahead of Collins in Senate race, new Maine poll shows
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:35Trump defends tariffs while Democrats emphasize high gas prices.
- 2:05The report surveys Mississippi and Texas Senate campaigns, plus John Legend's campaigning for Democrats in Ohio.
- 3:39JD Vance campaigns in Kansas for Senator Roger Marshall against Adam Hamilton.
- 4:41The Maine poll promised in the title puts Jackson at 49% and Collins at 47%.
- 5:24Kobin places the close contest alongside Maine's polling history and Collins' past election performances.
- 8:24Voter considerations include Collins' record, views of Trump, fuel costs and control of the Senate.
Maine voters are weighing Susan Collins' congressional record against their views of President Trump, the cost of fuel and which party should control the Senate. That is the picture Portland Press Herald politics reporter Billy Kobin lays out in a CBS News campaign roundup drawing an unusually large audience.
The Marist poll featured in the report puts Democrat Troy Jackson at 49% and Republican Collins at 47%. It is a narrow lead, not an election result, and Kobin places it alongside Maine's polling history and Collins' past electoral performances.
Jackson, a former logger who served as president of the Maine Senate, is challenging a senator who has represented the state since 1997. The segment's central question is whether voters will judge Collins chiefly on that record or through the national political mood.
The video had more than 720,000 views after 14 hours, already far beyond the channel's usual first-day audience for a regular video.
Its Maine discussion begins after a broader campaign tour: Weijia Jiang reports on Trump defending tariffs, Senate campaigns in Mississippi and Texas, and John Legend campaigning for Democrats in Ohio. Host Errol Barnett also covers JD Vance's Kansas stop before turning to Kobin for the closer look at Maine.
Collins' experience winning elections remains part of that discussion. But Kobin's assessment of this contest is plain: "However, this year, it is indeed close."
A Republican who has represented Maine in the US Senate since 1997. She has chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee since 2025.
More on Wikipedia ›A Democratic politician and former logger who led the Maine Senate from 2018 to 2024. He is his party's nominee for Maine's 2026 US Senate election.
More on Wikipedia ›The Republican vice president of the United States since 2025. He previously represented Ohio in the US Senate from 2023 to 2025.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- CBS News
- Subscribers
- 7,120,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 17,803,080
- Channel views, pace per day
- 2,528,389 (on a normal day: 2,528,622)
- Video published
- October 27, 2026
- Video views so far
- 721,528 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 931,284
The numbers
The campaign roundup has drawn an unusually large audience for a regular CBS News upload, with comments also well above a typical first day.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which singer is shown campaigning for Democrats in Ohio in this report?
The campaign roundup includes footage of John Legend campaigning for Democrats in Ohio.