2026 United States Senate election in Maine
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The 2026 United States Senate election in Maine will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Maine. Incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins plans to run for re-election to a sixth term in office. This will be the only Republican-held Senate seat up for election in 2026 in a state that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election.
Collins is the only incumbent Republican senator in any of the 19 states that never voted for Donald Trump in any of his three elections. There are no incumbent Democratic senators in any of the 25 states that always voted for Trump, though North Carolina was competitive in all three of his elections.[1]
This election will coincide with U.S. House elections for Maine's two congressional districts, a gubernatorial election, and various other state, county and local elections.
Background
A sparsely populated state in New England, Maine is one of the most rural states in the nation and is considered to be a moderately blue state, having voted for every Democratic presidential nominee since 1992 and voting for Kamala Harris by about seven percentage points in 2024. Democrats also control the governorship, the state legislature, and both seats in Maine's U.S. House congressional delegation.[2] Furthermore, after Jared Golden defeated Bruce Poliquin in Maine's 2nd Congressional District in 2018, Collins has been the only Republican representing any state in New England at the federal level.[3]
Collins was first elected in 1996 and was re-elected in four subsequent elections, significantly outperforming other Republicans in the state. In 2020, despite almost all polls and analysts predicting that she would lose her re-election bid, Collins unexpectedly defeated Democratic nominee Sara Gideon by about eight percentage points. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden carried Maine by about nine percentage points on the same ballot.[4]
As the only Republican-held Senate seat up for election in a state that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election and Collins' record of overperformance despite the state's Democratic lean, Maine is considered a key Senate battleground in 2026. This Senate seat has been held by Republicans since 1979. With the decline of ticket splitting and being in a midterm year with a Republican president, Collins is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Republican incumbent senator.[5][6] Following the retirement of Joe Manchin and the defeats of Democratic Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown in 2024, Collins remains the last senator to represent a non-swing state of the opposite party (i.e., a reliably red or blue state).
Republican primary
Collins was first elected in 1996. With Collins being a moderate conservative and sometimes a swing vote, she could face a more conservative primary opponent. However, she has the firm backing of national Republicans.[7]
Candidates
Declared
- Dan Smeriglio, former police officer[8]
Publicly expressed interest
- Susan Collins, incumbent U.S. senator (1997–present)[9]
Filed paperwork
- Carmen Calabrese[10]
Endorsements
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Susan Collins (R) | $6,014,341 | $2,053,616 | $5,255,917 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[12] | |||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- David Costello, consultant, former deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024[13]
- Tucker Favreau, cybersecurity professional[14]
- Graham Platner, Sullivan Harbor Master[15]
- Jordan Wood, former chief of staff to U.S. Representative Katie Porter[16]
Filed paperwork
- Natasha Alcala[17]
Publicly expressed interest
- Cathy Breen, former state senator from the 25th district (2014–2022)[18][19]
- Ryan Fecteau, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives (2020–2022, 2024–present) from the 132nd district (2014–2022, 2024–present)[18][19]
- Dan Kleban, brewery owner[20][19]
- Janet Mills, Governor of Maine (2019–present)[21]
Potential
- Kirk Francis, chief of the Penobscot Nation[22]
- Aaron Frey, Maine Attorney General (2019–present)[19]
Declined
- Jared Golden, U.S. Representative from Maine's 2nd congressional district (2019–present) (running for re-election)[23]
- Chellie Pingree, U.S. Representative from Maine's 1st congressional district (2009–present) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2002 (running for re-election)[18]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Tucker Favreau (D) | $4,724 | $676 | $4,048 |
| Jordan Wood (D) | $1,606,800 | $802,732 | $804,068 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[12] | |||
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Phillip Rench, former member of the Maine Space Corporation Board of Directors (2023–2025)[24]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of June 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Phillip Rench (I) | $54,569 | $20,465 | $34,104 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[12] | |||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[25] | Tilt R | July 24, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report[26] | Lean R | February 13, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[27] | Lean R | March 12, 2025 |
| Race To The WH[28] | Tossup | April 27, 2025 |
Notes
Partisan client
References
- ^ Kondik, Kyle (December 5, 2025). "The End of the Line for Red State Senate Democrats". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
Collins is now the lone outlier among all 100 senators as someone who continues to hold a Senate seat in a state that hasn't supported her party's presidential nominee in decades. Such outliers were important parts of past recent Democratic Senate majorities, but they will now be all gone.
- ^ "Maine Democrats say they won enough seats to control state Senate". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Scanlan, Quinn. "Susan Collins, Congress's last New England Republican, facing toughest reelection yet". ABC News. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ Everett, Burgess (November 4, 2020). "Collins wins again in Maine, boosting Senate GOP". POLITICO. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Coleman, J. Miles (July 11, 2024). "The Shocking Decline of Senate Ticket-Splitting". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Stanton, Andrew (November 14, 2024). "Susan Collins' Reelection Plan Throws a Wrench in Democrats' Senate Hopes". Newsweek. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ^ "Who will Democrats find to run against Susan Collins in 2026?". Piscataquis Observer. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ^ Collins, Steve (February 18, 2025). "A Frenchville Republican challenges Susan Collins". Sun Journal. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ^ Shepherd, Michael (November 15, 2024). "Susan Collins plans to run for historic 6th term in 2026". Piscataquis Observer. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
- ^ "CALABRESE, CARMEN VINCENT MR. - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. January 1, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ "- AIPAC Political Portal". candidates.aipacpac.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ a b c "2026 Election United States Senate - Maine". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ Billings, Randy (June 11, 2025). "Brunswick Democrat announces campaign for Susan Collins' Senate seat". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Cover, Susan (June 12, 2025). "Democrat enters race to challenge Maine Sen. Susan Collins". Spectrum News. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ McDuffie, Will (August 19, 2025). "Graham Platner, oysterman and harbormaster from rural Maine, enters race to challenge Sen. Susan Collins". ABC News. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ Kobin, Billy (April 23, 2025). "Democrat with national ties announces 2026 bid to unseat Susan Collins". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ^ Bartow, Adam (February 26, 2025). "Growing field: First Democrat files to challenge Sen. Susan Collins". WMTV. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c Ohm, Rachel (May 27, 2025). "Who will Maine Democrats run against Susan Collins?". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Kevin (July 21, 2025). "Who will challenge Susan Collins in 2026?". Maine Public. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ Kobin, Billy (May 29, 2025). "These Democrats may run against Susan Collins in 2026". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ Mundry, Jackie (August 6, 2025). "'I would think seriously about it' | Mills not ruling out a U.S. Senate run". WMTW. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ Kobin, Billy (April 19, 2025). "Who will Democrats find to run against Susan Collins in 2026?". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ^ Kobin, Billy (May 20, 2025). "Jared Golden will run for reelection in Maine's 2nd District in 2026". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Fahlberg, Audrey (March 7, 2025). "Ex-Democrat SpaceX Engineer Challenging Maine Senator Susan Collins as an Independent". National Review. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
External links
- Official campaign websites