By Andy Sullivan
Nov 3 (Reuters) - Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins conceded to Democrat Troy Jackson on Tuesday, scoring a major pickup for Democrats in one of the midterms’ most competitive races.
First elected in 1996, Collins had repeatedly survived as a moderate Republican in a state that has not backed her party for president since 1988. But this year she faced economic headwinds that helped Jackson overcome his late entry into the race.
The Iran war pushed up fuel and home heating oil prices – an especially salient issue in a largely rural state known for harsh winters. Trump's trade war with Canada weighed on tourism, lobstering, logging and other pillars of Maine's economy.
Jackson, a former state Senate president, emphasized his blue-collar roots as a fifth-generation logger from the remote town of Allagash. He campaigned on universal healthcare and other populist policies, drawing the support of high-profile progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont.
Jackson, 58, took an unusual path to victory. He initially campaigned for governor, but came in third place in the crowded Democratic primary in June. Democrats selected him as their Senate nominee in July to replace Graham Platner, a former Marine and oysterman who dropped out after facing rape allegations, which he denied.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the US Senate, where Democrats must net four seats in the midterm elections to take back control of the chamber.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Howard Goller)
