Collins-Jackson Senate Race Turns Into an All-Out Negative Ad War

Maine’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson has reached a new high in negative advertising, with attack spots dominating television spending as Election Day approaches.

An October 20 analysis by the Bangor Daily News found that negative advertisements accounted for 88% of broadcast spending during the seven days ending Sunday. On the Saturday before the report, more than nine out of every 10 dollars spent on television ads in the race went toward negative messaging, according to the newspaper’s analysis of the advertising battle.

The escalation reflects a campaign increasingly focused on defining the opponent rather than selling voters on a positive agenda.

Republican-aligned groups have targeted Jackson over his personal conduct, legislative reimbursements and questions surrounding cell phone towers reportedly built on land owned by his family. One Senate Leadership Fund ad was titled “Crook and a Creep,” while another aligned group ran a shorter attack titled “A Creep.”

Jackson and Democratic allies have also shifted sharply toward negative advertising. The Bangor Daily News reported that Democrats were spending more than 80% of their broadcast advertising money on negative spots, compared with roughly half in early August.

The attacks cover central issues in the campaign, including Medicaid, electricity prices, heating costs and the candidates’ relationships with President Donald Trump.

A Democratic-aligned ad accused Collins of supporting Trump’s Medicaid cuts. Collins voted against the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act but did cast a procedural vote to advance it. She has disputed the claim that she was responsible for the bill’s Medicaid provisions.

Republican-aligned advertising, meanwhile, has sought to tie Jackson to rising electricity costs during his time leading the Maine Senate. Democrats have countered by pointing to higher heating costs and Collins’ positions on the war with Iran.

The race has attracted enormous outside spending. The Bangor Daily News reported that Republican-aligned super PACs and nonprofits had booked approximately $126 million in advertising to support Collins, much of it from donors whose identities may not be publicly disclosed.

Yet the increasingly hostile ad campaign has not produced a decisive shift in the contest. The newspaper reported that Jackson held a narrow polling lead and the race remained rated a toss-up.

The question for both campaigns is whether another round of attacks will persuade Maine's undecided voters, or simply deepen public frustration with a Senate race increasingly defined by accusations.