Collins and Jackson Deploy Divergent Campaign Strategies in Maine Senate Race
Republican incumbent Susan Collins seeks centrist voters while progressive challenger Troy Jackson rallies the Democratic base, highlighted by visits from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Senator Joe Manchin.
Senator Susan Collins is focusing on moderate voters in the closing weeks of Maine's closely contested Senate race, while her Democratic opponent, Representative Troy Jackson, is aiming 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.
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.