Troy Jackson will face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine's 2026 U.S. Senate election, a contest national analysts rate as a tossup and one that could help determine control of the chamber.

The backstory: Jackson, a former state lawmaker and fifthgeneration logger from Aroostook County, became the Democratic nominee on July 25 after the party convened an emergency convention.

Delegates selected him to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew from the race earlier in the month following an allegation of sexual assault that he denied.