Collins and Jackson Pursue Divergent Tactics in Maine Senate Battle
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Republican incumbent Susan Collins courts cautious moderates while progressive challenger Troy Jackson mobilizes the Democratic base, with prominent visits from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Senator Joe Manchin underscoring the contrast.
Senator Susan Collins is once again trying to appeal to cautious moderate voters in the final stretch of Maine's tightly contested Senate race, while her Democratic opponent, Representative Troy Jackson, is working to energize the party's progressive base.
Jackson appeared Thursday at a theater in Portland wearing a button-down shirt under a navy vest, accompanied by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 37-year-old democratic socialist who is reportedly weighing a presidential bid. Their appearance followed visits by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who traveled to Maine to endorse Jackson and help build enthusiasm among grassroots Democrats.
Collins, dressed in a light-blue suit, met on Wednesday with former Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a centrist figure, for low-key stops at a historic diner and a shoe factory in regions with mixed political leanings.
Both campaigns are using high-profile visits to signal their respective strategies as the race could influence Senate control.