High-profile races that will determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years are extremely tight, according to a new CNN poll, as Maine and Kansas remain close and Democrats extended their leads in Texas and Michigan. Democrats, who are widely projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives, need to flip four Senate seats from red to blue in order to gain a 51-seat majority, protecting their majority from the vice presidential tiebreaker. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is the only Republican incumbent running in a state that went for Kamala Harris in 2024.
FOX NEWS POLL: NAIL-BITER IN MAINE SENATE RACE Collins' Democratic challenger is Troy Jackson, the former president of the state Senate who jumped into the race as a replacement for the previous nominee, scandal-plagued Graham Platner. The race has no clear frontrunner, according to the CNN poll, though Jackson holds a marginal lead. COLLINS INSISTS SOCIALIST RIVAL WON'T BEAT HER AS MAINE'S MONEY MACHINE: 'YOU'LL LOSE BIG TIME' Forty-nine percent of respondents told the outlet's pollsters they favored Jackson, compared to 45% for Collins.
While Jackson is slightly ahead, at least 12.5% of voters say they could still change their minds. Respondents tied Collins to her party less than any other Republican running for Senate in the nation, with 46% of respondents saying they believe she would choose her constituents over the Republican Party. DAVID MARCUS: THE FUTURE OF THE GOP IN NEW ENGLAND RIDES ON MAINE’S SENATE VOTE Collins was one of seven Republicans to vote in favor of President Donald Trump's second impeachment in 2021, and she joined Sen.
Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as the only Republicans to vote against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation in 2025. With Collins managing to distance herself from Trump, her race has largely become a referendum on her own career. Three-quarters of respondents from either party told CNN pollsters that their choice was motivated more by Collins than Jackson.
DAVID MARCUS: IN BLUE MAINE, NOBODY BELIEVES SUSAN COLLINS WILL LOSE UNTIL THEY SEE IT In Michigan, despite warnings from some mainstream Democrats and the state's Jewish community, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is building a lead over former Rep. Respondents favored El-Sayed at 49% compared to the 42% who favored Rogers, according to the poll. CNN's previous poll, released in early September, showed El-Sayed with a 47% share compared to Rogers' 44%, showing the former public health director El-Sayed building on his lead.
FOX NEWS POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS The Democrat has consolidated his party's support after a contentious primary with Rep. Ninty-five percent of likely Democrat voters say they'll punch the ticket for El-Sayed, up from 90% in the September poll. Rogers voters, meanwhile, are motivated more by dislike for the Democratic candidate than faith in the Republican. 57% told CNN pollsters they were voting against El-Sayed, up from 41% in a previous poll.
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