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LIVE DATA Refreshed Oct 9, 2026 at 12:12 AM PDT

QUID · MAINE U.S. SENATE · OCT 2 - OCT 8, 2026

MAINE
VOICES 2026

Seven days of conversation about Susan Collins and Troy Jackson, split between posts that can be placed in Maine and posts from the rest of the country. A televised debate on Tuesday and an Obama endorsement on Thursday shaped nearly everything that follows.

Susan CollinsRepublican incumbent
+28.1Maine +22.7National
Troy JacksonDemocratic challenger
+22.8Maine +48.1National
216K
TOTAL VOLUMEPosts, articles and comments. Only 6% are original; the rest are reposts and replies.
+22.7
COLLINS, NATIONALNet sentiment outside Maine. +29.3 on posts naming her alone.
+48.1
JACKSON, NATIONALNet sentiment outside Maine. +50.0 on posts naming him alone.
105K
DEBATE DAYVolume on Oct 7, four times the weekly average.
The Week In One Line

Net sentiment runs on the left axis from −100 to +100. Gold bars carry total daily volume for both candidates combined — hover any bar for the narratives driving that day. Both lines move together on debate day, then split apart on Thursday.

-100-500+50+100Fri 10-02Sat 10-03Sun 10-04Mon 10-05Tue 10-06Wed 10-07Thu 10-0812.1K17.2K11.2K18.4K22.3K104.6K30.6K NET
Collins net sentiment Jackson net sentiment Total posts, articles and comments
Inside Maine

Posts whose geography resolves to Maine. This is the smallest and most contested slice of the week, and the one where the ProPublica reporting does the most work.

MAINE

Susan Collins

Maine

2,214posts
-100-500+50+100 +28.1 NET SENTIMENT to +43.1 on single-subject posts
64% POSITIVE
  • 214 positive
  • 120 negative
  • Hover a segment

693 unique authors · 201 original posts (9% of volume; the rest are reposts and replies).
Sentiment from 334 labeled posts, 15.1% of this slice; stored sample behind the labels 37 documents.

Top 3 narratives driving sentiment
1

The ProPublica Pay-To-Play Investigation

NEGATIVE DRIVER

A ProPublica report alleging Collins steered federal contracts to donors is the single loudest thread in Maine. Mainers recycle the specifics daily: Martin Kao, AM General, a $4.5M medical contract, and her campaign finance director.

Day 10 since ProPublica revealed the FBI was circling Susan Collins over her bribery scheme. Still crying "hit job." Still no phone logs. The Susan Collins Corruption Industrial Complex is still lying. Maine is waiting.

@JordanWoodOct 2Source

EXPOSED AGAIN: Susan Collins CAUGHT in another alleged pay-to-play scheme where she gave millions of dollars in contracts to AM General, and her PAC received thousands in donations.

@MajorityPACOct 5Source
2

Debate Night Split The Scorecard

CONTESTED

Tuesday's televised debate produced Maine's biggest single-day volume of the week and no agreed winner. Supporters scored it decisively for Collins; critics scored the road-salt exchange as the night's defining moment.

Susan Collins DEFINITELY won the debate. Even the CNN political contributors said Jackson look like he came unprepared and was uttering old stuff with this pay for play nonsense.

@usa_maine_usaOct 8Source

After Susan Collins brags that she was successful in getting road salt removed from the Canada tariff list, Troy Jackson responds with: "We can't eat road salt."

@daviddunn177Oct 7Source
3

Thirty Years Of Service As The Defense

POSITIVE DRIVER

Collins's Maine support answers the corruption thread with tenure and casework rather than rebuttal: consecutive votes, heating assistance, first responders, constituent letters.

@SenSusanCollins record of accomplishments, speaks to her dedication to Maine and Maine citizens. With 30 years of experience and 10,000+ consecutive votes...

@KJismsOct 8Source

Sen. Collins further addressed the pay-to-play scheme allegations on Saturday, saying those who know her know she serves the people of Maine with integrity.

WGME CBS 13 News, PortlandOct 5Source
MAINE

Troy Jackson

Maine

1,177posts
-100-500+50+100 +22.8 NET SENTIMENT to +18.6 on single-subject posts
61% POSITIVE
  • 143 positive
  • 90 negative
  • Hover a segment

505 unique authors · 154 original posts (13% of volume; the rest are reposts and replies).
Sentiment from 233 labeled posts, 19.8% of this slice; stored sample behind the labels 26 documents.

Top 3 narratives driving sentiment
1

The Obama Endorsement

POSITIVE DRIVER

Thursday's endorsement is the strongest positive event in Jackson's Maine week and the reason his Maine sentiment closes at its high.

Former President Barack Obama is backing Troy Jackson in Maine's U.S. Senate race. "I'm proud to be on board," Obama said.

WGME CBS 13 News, PortlandOct 8Source

Barack Obama has entered the chat. "Troy Jackson is running to be your next Senator and I'm proud to be on board. In this economy we need a fighter like Troy."

@TheMaineWonkOct 8Source
2

Closing Strong On Power And Rural Healthcare

POSITIVE DRIVER

Jackson's debate close travelled further in Maine than any policy line, paired with coverage of the rural healthcare exchange.

Troy Jackson closes strong: "Power means nothing if you won't use it when the people of Maine need it." Maine deserves a senator who will use their power for the people of Maine, not special interests.

@MajorityPACOct 7Source

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson addressed the dwindling rural healthcare access in Maine during Tuesday night's debate.

WGME CBS 13 News, PortlandOct 7Source
3

The Opposition File

NEGATIVE DRIVER

Maine's conservative media ecosystem runs a steady character and cost-of-living case: a son's contract, a mortgage claim, and ratepayer arithmetic.

Troy Jackson doesn't deny that he flipped his position on three gun control bills less than one month after a gun control lobby handed his son a $50k contract.

@SteveRobOct 7Source

FACT CHECK: As Maine Senate President, Troy Jackson supported healthcare bills that hiked insurance rates by $600 annually for average Mainers and voted for energy legislation that added $234 million to ratepayer bills.

@NRSCOct 7Source
Maine Versus The Country

The same week reads differently depending on where you stand. Net sentiment is plotted from Maine on the left to the rest of the country on the right; the solid line counts every post naming a candidate, the dashed line counts only posts that name that candidate and not the other.

+0+15+30+45+60MAINEREST OF U.S.+28.1COLLINS+22.7COLLINS+22.8JACKSON+48.1JACKSON

All posts naming the candidate   Posts naming that candidate only

+5.5Susan CollinsMaine minus national · +13.8 on single-subject posts

Collins reads almost the same at home as she does nationally. The corruption story travels in both directions; what differs is detail, not direction.

-25.4Troy JacksonMaine minus national · -31.4 on single-subject posts

Jackson is a far bigger hit outside Maine than inside it. Two debate clips carried him nationally; at home a steady opposition file holds him down.

What each audience actually argues about

Geography, not party. Both columns cover the same week and the same two candidates; what separates them is which arguments actually travel.

IN MAINE

Specifics, Service And Opposition Research

Maine argues in particulars. The corruption story arrives with names attached, and the counter-case is casework the state can verify.

The ProPublica file, by nameMartin Kao, AM General, a $4.5M medical contract, the campaign finance director, a claimed $150,000 bribe.

Susan Collins allegedly accepted a $150,000 bribe from a defense contractor in exchange for doing their bidding. Mainers deserve better than a corrupt sellout representing them in the Senate.

American Bridge 21st CenturyOct 5Source
Casework as the rebuttalHeating assistance, first responders, 10,000+ consecutive votes, constituent letters answered.

Thank you U.S. Senator Susan Collins for the support you give to us first responders.

Maine community pageOct 4Source
Jackson's opposition fileA son's $50K contract beside a gun-bill reversal, an FHA mortgage claim, $234M added to ratepayer bills.

Troy Jackson totally fails to defend himself on charges he committed mortgage fraud when he got an FHA loan for an Augusta home.

@SteveRobOct 6Source
Rural healthcare accessThe one debate exchange Maine outlets led with that national accounts largely skipped.

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson addressed the dwindling rural healthcare access in Maine during Tuesday night's debate.

WGME CBS 13 News, PortlandOct 7Source
REST OF THE U.S.

Clips, Anniversaries And Endorsements

The country argues in moments. Almost nothing here is specific to Maine; the race is a vehicle for national arguments.

Kavanaugh, eight years to the dayThe anniversary fell inside debate week and national accounts fused the two.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) defended her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during a debate against Troy Jackson (D-ME) on Tuesday.

C-SPANOct 7Source
Five words and one metaphor“We can’t eat road salt” and the arsonist line became the week’s most-travelled political clips.

Troy Jackson just destroyed Susan Collins in 4 seconds. Collins: “I was successful in getting road salt removed from the Canada tariff list”. Jackson: “We can’t eat road salt.”

@krassensteinOct 7Source
The Obama endorsementOne morning of consolidated national Democratic attention, barely inflected by Maine itself.

Former president Barack Obama endorsed Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson, saying he is “proud to be on board” the Democrats’ campaign to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Washington PostOct 8Source
Trump-alignment arithmeticVotes with him 96% of the time; 8 million Americans off their health care.

FBI agents were circling Susan Collins and her operation. Then Donald Trump came back and dismantled the unit investigating. And now Susan Collins conveniently votes with him 96% of the time.

Troy JacksonOct 7Source

Both audiences watched the same debate and know the same corruption headline. Maine carries the evidence; the country carries the slogan.

The Rest Of The Country

Posts placed elsewhere in the United States. National attention is organized around two debate moments and an endorsement rather than around Maine's own arguments.

NATIONAL

Susan Collins

Rest of United States

123,375posts
-100-500+50+100 +22.7 NET SENTIMENT to +29.3 on single-subject posts
61% POSITIVE
  • 11,587 positive
  • 7,304 negative
  • Hover a segment

60,327 unique authors · 6,302 original posts (5% of volume; the rest are reposts and replies).
Sentiment from 18,891 labeled posts, 15.3% of this slice; stored sample behind the labels 3,065 documents.

Top 3 narratives driving sentiment
1

Kavanaugh, Eight Years To The Day

NEGATIVE DRIVER

The anniversary of the Kavanaugh confirmation vote landed inside debate week, and national accounts fused the two. It is the most-shared single frame about Collins outside Maine.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) defended her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during a debate against Troy Jackson (D-ME) on Tuesday.

C-SPANOct 7Source

Eight years ago today, Susan Collins was the deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Supreme Court. We were never confused about who Brett Kavanaugh was.

Planned Parenthood Maine Action FundOct 6Source
2

A Corruption Story That Went National

NEGATIVE DRIVER

What began as Maine reporting became national paid media inside the week: a $3.4M ad campaign, an ethics complaint, and sustained amplification from national accounts.

Crooked Susan Collins took thousands of dollars from a medical company before giving them a $4.5 million contract. This is now her 3rd alleged pay-to-play story in the last 2 weeks.

The Lincoln ProjectOct 8Source

Democrats launch $3.4M corruption-focused ad campaign against Susan Collins

Portland Press HeraldOct 2Source
3

The Trump-Alignment Ledger

NEGATIVE DRIVER

Outside Maine the argument is arithmetic: a voting percentage and a healthcare number. Her counterweight in the same period is polling, not persuasion.

Susan Collins helped Donald Trump kick 8 million Americans off their health care, then claimed she knows what it's like because 32 years ago, she ran for office without insurance.

DemocratsOct 8Source

Maine's Republican Senator Susan Collins has recorded another polling win.

NewsweekOct 2Source
NATIONAL

Troy Jackson

Rest of United States

46,971posts
-100-500+50+100 +48.1 NET SENTIMENT to +50.0 on single-subject posts
74% POSITIVE
  • 5,506 positive
  • 1,928 negative
  • Hover a segment

26,622 unique authors · 3,835 original posts (8% of volume; the rest are reposts and replies).
Sentiment from 7,434 labeled posts, 15.8% of this slice; stored sample behind the labels 1,206 documents.

Top 3 narratives driving sentiment
1

"We Can't Eat Road Salt"

POSITIVE DRIVER

Five words from the debate became the week's most-travelled political clip. It is the main reason Jackson's national net sentiment runs more than twice Collins's.

Troy Jackson just destroyed Susan Collins in 4 seconds. Collins: "I was successful in getting road salt removed from the Canada tariff list". Jackson: "We can't eat road salt."

@krassensteinOct 7Source

BREAKING: Troy Jackson destroys Susan Collins with one line at Maine Senate debate. Sen. Susan Collins went into Tuesday night's debate looking for a win on Donald Trump's tariffs.

U.S. Democratic SocialistsOct 7Source
2

Hammering The Kavanaugh Vote

POSITIVE DRIVER

The highest-engagement post about either candidate all week. National accounts framed the exchange as the debate's defining confrontation.

"WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO ADMIT YOU WERE WRONG?" Troy Jackson HAMMERS Susan Collins over her vote on Brett Kavanaugh - eight years to the day after she helped put him on the Supreme Court!

Occupy DemocratsOct 7Source

Troy Jackson SLAMS Susan Collins: "Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire and then wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out."

DemocratsOct 7Source
3

Obama, And The Conservative Counterpunch

CONTESTED

The endorsement consolidated national Democratic attention on Thursday. Conservative outlets ran the mirror story the same day, arguing the debate attacks rebounded on him.

Former president Barack Obama endorsed Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson, saying he is "proud to be on board" the Democrats' campaign to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Washington PostOct 8Source

Democratic Senate Candidate Troy Jackson's attempt to attack Susan Collins backfired badly.

The Western JournalOct 8Source

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