PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins lost her bid for a sixth term Tuesday to Democrat Troy Jackson, CNN projected, and Collins called Jackson to concede just after midnight Wednesday, according to Jackson's campaign and the Portland Press Herald.

The result ends Collins' 30-year tenure in the Senate and makes Jackson, a former logger from Allagash and former president of the Maine Senate, the state's next U.S. senator. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in Maine since 1988.

With more than 513,000 votes counted, Jackson led Collins about 53% to 47%, according to NBC News results. The Associated Press, The New York Times and the Press Herald had not called the race as of the concession, the Press Herald reported, though the Times gave Jackson a better than 95% chance of winning and projected a margin of about 4.5 points.

News of the concession spread through the Maine Democratic Party's watch party at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, where Jackson then took the stage to chants of "Troy, Troy, Troy!" the Press Herald reported.

Earlier in the night, at her own watch party in Bangor, Collins had told supporters she expected Republicans to keep the Senate and that she believed she would be "celebrating a victory tonight," according to the Press Herald.

A late entry

Jackson was not Democrats' original nominee. He was chosen at a party nominating convention July 25 to replace oyster farmer Graham Platner, whose candidacy collapsed amid personal scandals and sexual assault allegations, which Platner denied.

Jackson led in most public polling through the fall, including a final New York Times/Siena/Press Herald survey that showed him ahead by 6 points and a CNN/SSRS poll that had him up 49% to 45%. Collins, however, had outperformed her polling six years ago, when she defeated Democrat Sara Gideon by about 9 points.

The race shattered spending records in Maine. Jackson pressed Collins on her ties to President Donald Trump and cast the race as a referendum on whether Mainers wanted a stronger check on the administration. Collins and her allies questioned Jackson's experience and legislative record and argued that a freshman senator would lack the seniority to deliver for Maine. The two clashed at a debate when Jackson told Collins to "shut up" after she suggested a protester was one of his supporters; Jackson later refused to apologize.

Democratic night in Maine

Jackson's win came on a strong night for Maine Democrats. Hannah Pingree won the governor's race after Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett called her to concede, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree won a 10th term in the 1st Congressional District. The Associated Press projected Democrats would take control of the U.S. Senate.

Collins was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and was the only Republican senator representing a state that Trump lost in 2024.