MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The race for U.S. Senate in Maine is poised to be one of the most competitive of the midterms. It's a choice between incumbent Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson. To win in November, both need the support of an especially powerful voting bloc, Maine women. NPR's Elena Moore reports.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: On an 89-acre flower farm in Belmont, Maine, Stacy Leafsong is finishing up some arrangements for a wedding. With pops of blue and white, the flowers mirror the colors of the coast, which is just a short drive away from here.
STACY LEAFSONG: I do flowers seven days a week, literally live and breathe flowers.
MOORE: She says she built this farm from scratch and as a single mom. She's also a progressive activist and, last year on the farm, hosted the first fundraiser for Graham Platner's Senate bid. Since then, she watched his rise and then fall. Platner dropped out last month over rape allegations, which he denies. Leafsong had already denounced him by then, disturbed by previous reports about his behavior. As a domestic violence survivor herself, watching Mainers stick by him upset her.
LEAFSONG: I know people are incredibly stressed, and I think people are really scared, so there's that explanation. But I also think that his campaign was incredibly toxic in a lot of ways.
MOORE: Now Leafsong is backing the party's new pick, Troy Jackson, a progressive former state senator, and she hopes he can really speak to Maine women.
LEAFSONG: Women's issues are much more than childcare and abortion. There are so many complex issues in the state.
MOORE: Whether he can do that may determine his chances of defeating Susan Collins, and that could prove expensive. According to AdImpact, Republicans have already spent millions on ads trying to link Platner to Jackson, seizing on reports that he has a short temper.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Disturbing news about threats of violence against women. Is it Graham Platner again? No, it's Troy Jackson.
MOORE: Unlike Platner, Jackson has never been accused of sexual violence towards women, but there have been accounts of him getting into shouting matches with colleagues during his time as a state lawmaker. It's something he's apologized for and says he's always tried to treat colleagues with respect. To understand why these ads may hold weight, look at Maine's electorate.
EMILY CAIN: Women voters in Maine are the majority of voters. And so you have to take them seriously.
MOORE: That's Democrat Emily Cain. She's a former state senator and the previous executive director of EMILYs List, an organization that backs women candidates who support abortion rights.
CAIN: Independents are, you know, almost a third of voters in Maine. But the majority of voters are women who are older. So the people who decide statewide races are independents who are also a majority women.
MOORE: Collins has survived tough elections before, but 2026 is the first time she's on the ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned. She's long considered herself pro-choice, but in 2018, her vote was crucial in confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, growing a conservative majority that went on to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion. Speaking to reporters earlier this summer, Collins said she doesn't regret her vote.
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SUSAN COLLINS: Obviously, I'm disappointed in that decision, which turned abortion issues back to the states. It has not had an impact on the state of Maine.
MOORE: Jackson still plans to make it an issue. He's evolved on the topic, initially entering politics as an abortion rights opponent, then shifting left and voting to expand access in recent years. Speaking to Maine Public Radio last month, he argued he's the better advocate on the issue.
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TROY JACKSON: I'm rock solid on this now, and Susan has been the opposite.
MOORE: But in the end, these issues may come second for many voters. Diana Kushnar is a Republican running for state House. Talking with women on the campaign trail, she says their primary concern is high costs.
DIANA KUSHNAR: They're worried about whether they can afford a home and - because the rising utility bills, the cost of raising a family, and then just access to healthcare and whether their children will have even a reason to stay in Maine.
MOORE: Many share those concerns across the aisle, but there's also a desire for leadership change. Kelli Brennan, a nurse and union leader, feels that way.
KELLI BRENNAN: I think, for women in Maine, what we need right now is somebody who understands the working class.
MOORE: And from nurses and teachers to single moms, Brennan says the working class very much includes women. Elena Moore, NPR News.
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