Maine voters reject Collins after ICE officer kills immigrant

Maine voters cast aside the state's longtime moderate Republican, Susan Collins, in favor of Democrat Troy Jackson on Tuesday. The defeat ends Collins's 30-year tenure in the U.S. Senate, a result that local officials and residents directly linked to the federal government's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics in the state over the past year.

The central catalyst for the shift appears to be the July 13 fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. The Colombian immigrant was killed by ICE agent David Brouillette during a traffic stop in Biddeford. Brouillette was a new recruit who was hired despite court records and media reports detailing allegations of violence and mental health struggles from his ex-wives. On Wednesday, dozens of 'I voted' stickers adorned a memorial on the corner of Hill and Pool streets, where Guerrero was killed. One sticker on a Colombian soccer jersey read 'Para ti,' or 'For you.'

Kristin Jortberg, a 67-year-old retired teacher in Biddeford, said she had previously supported Collins but changed her mind after watching the agency's activity. 'I saw [Collins] as being someone who was independent,' Jortberg said. 'Now, she’s just going with the status quo.' The sentiment was echoed at Democratic celebrations in Portland, where nearly every speaker mentioned ICE. Jackson declared on stage in the early hours of Wednesday that he would fight to abolish the agency, drawing raucous cheers.

The enforcement surge, which the Trump administration dubbed 'Operation Catch of the Day' in January, detained more than 200 people, most of whom had no criminal record. This presence transformed the atmosphere in southern Maine communities, leading to street protests in Portland, Lewiston, Scarborough, and Biddeford. While Collins attempted to position herself as a moderate advocate, she voted in the spring for a $70 billion package to expand immigration enforcement. She also relied on assurances from then-DHS head Kristi Noem that the initial surge had ended, even as arrests of delivery drivers and health care workers continued.

The electoral shift was stark in areas previously split between parties. In Biddeford, Jackson captured 66 percent of the vote compared to Collins's 34 percent. This contrasts sharply with the 2020 race, when Democratic candidate Sara Gideon won about 51 percent to Collins's 41 percent. In Lewiston, a city heavily affected by enforcement, Jackson beat Collins by 8 percentage points, whereas Collins had won by 2 percentage points against Gideon in 2020.

Charlie Dingman, chair of the Maine Democratic Party, described the enforcement as a decisive issue that highlighted a lack of moral center in the federal government. Republican strategist Lance Dutson agreed that the administration's actions cast a negative shadow on Collins, noting that she appeared to cozy up to the right flank more than in past campaigns. On Monday night, protesters spray-painted 'BLOOD on her HANDS' on the sidewalk outside Collins's Biddeford office.

Gretchen Larkin, a 29-year-old resident who lives near the memorial, said the shooting occurred just a few doors from her home. She voted for Jackson despite having only participated in one previous election. 'Whatever helps America change for the better,' Larkin said.