Susan Collins' Last Stand: Inside the Maine Race That Could Decide the Senate

The five-term Republican is the only GOP senator defending a seat in a Democratic-leaning state. A new poll shows her race with Troy Jackson within the margin of error, and the money pouring in is breaking records.

By Clara Hughes

Susan Collins has won five Senate elections in Maine since 1996. Her sixth may be the hardest yet, and the outcome may help decide which party controls the US Senate. A new Marist Poll released Tuesday shows Democrat Troy Jackson at 49% and Collins at 47% among likely voters, a gap well inside the survey's margin of error. The Altas editorial ratings on our US Elections hub rate the race a Toss-up, one of only three Senate contests in that category, alongside Iowa and the Ohio special election. Why Maine matters so much Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the Senate majority, Reuters reported. That math runs straight through Maine. Collins, first elected in 1996, is the only Republican incumbent running this year in a state that leans Democratic, according to Reuters. If Democrats cannot beat her, their path to a majority narrows sharply. If they can,