With the midterms less than a week away, Aroostook voters are weighing two of their own in one of the nation’s most watched races.
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson have both touted their working class heritage in Aroostook in their U.S. Senate battle. Collins, 73, points to her family’s longtime lumber business. Jackson, 58, touts five generations of logging roots.
But even in their home county, the race is too close to predict, with voter sentiment divided on who would best represent Aroostook residents’ interests. The Bangor Daily News talked to some of those people to gauge their feelings.
“To be honest, everyone I speak to is shellshocked,” said Houlton Democrat Bev Chapman, noting she has knocked on 100 doors canvassing for the party. “One thing for sure, everyone is done with Trump except MAGA hardcore.”
Residents are weighing what each candidate has brought to Aroostook County.
Collins and her supporters laud her position as appropriations chairwoman, pointing to $428.6 million secured in 2026 for state projects spread among 16 counties. Eleven percent, or $46.4 million of the state total, is earmarked for 23 County projects, according to Collins’ office.
Of the Aroostook total, $20.3 million, or 44%, was secured jointly with Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, according to funding data King’s office provided. Collins brought in about $390 per County resident this year. Joint projects between the two senators netted about $692 per person.
While he was Senate president, Jackson spearheaded bipartisan legislation in 2021 that provided free meals for all Maine schoolchildren, which passed unanimously in the Senate. In its first year, from 2022 to 2023, the state appropriated $34 million for approximately 173,907 students, according to the legislation’s fiscal report.
The program, which continues to grow, saves families about $160 a month per child, according to Gov. Janet Mills’ office.
U.S. Army veteran and Republican Roger Felix said he sees Collins pulling off another win.
“I would say definitely the 2nd Congressional District is going to be hands down for Collins,” the Caribou resident said. “She’s already proven that she can do the job. We’ve seen it happen. She’s not a stranger to Aroostook County by any means, and she doesn’t forget where she came from.”
Felix said it’s nothing against Jackson and he voted for him several times when he was in the Maine Senate. Jackson strongly advocated to keep the Maine veterans homes open in northern Maine, for which Felix gives him credit.
For Felix, it comes down to “deeds, not words” and Collins has already done the work, he said.
Bridgewater potato farmer Jim Gerritsen, who was an Aroostook County delegate in the Democratic nominating convention earlier this year, supports Jackson and said it’s time for Collins to retire.
Jackson has demonstrated a commitment to Maine’s working people, including efforts to control prescription drug prices and institute free school meals, Gerritsen said.
He criticized Collins’ votes in favor of the wars in Iraq and Iran, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination and her alleged trading of political favors with donors.
The claims arose in a ProPublica report that alleged a Collins fundraiser and Hawaiian government contractor Navatek engineered a $500,000 campaign donation in 2019. Collins has denied those claims.
“At the very least the conflict of interest is outrageous, so what that tells me is it’s more important to her to self benefit then be a good steward for taxpayer funds or the interests of working people in Maine,” he said. “It just demonstrates terrible judgment.”
Houlton resident Craig Harriman, 48, remains undecided.
“Susan Collins, being in the senate for nearly 30 years, is why we should consider term limits,” Harriman said.
But the independent was disappointed to find out that after Jackson said no billionaires were funding his campaign, recently released financials revealed at least four had contributed, he said.
Ludlow agricultural business expert Roxanne Bruce is not sure Jackson brings “enough change potential.”
“I know what Susan Collins has brought for years and I am hoping for change,” she said. “If we don’t change soon, a lot of what makes Maine great could be lost.”
Single mother of five, Lavinia Lengele, 39, an independent, said she believes politicians are out of touch with the communities they represent, especially rural communities. She doesn’t believe either Collins or Jackson is the answer, but voting on Nov. 3 matters more now than ever, she said.
“We’ve become so focused on left versus right that we’ve lost sight of what really matters,” the Houlton resident said. “We need people who care about their neighbors and are willing to show up for one another, because that’s what is actually making a difference in people’s lives.”
