In a competitive Maine Senate race, women voters could be the deciders

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, walks in the annual Moxie Day Parade on July 11, 2026 in Lisbon, Maine. In her 2020 Senate campaign, Collins won women voters by three points, according to exit polling. Scott Eisen/Getty Images hide caption

BANGOR, Maine — On an 89-acre farm in Belmont, Maine, Stacy Leafsong is finishing up a series of intricate flower arrangements for an upcoming wedding. With pops of blue and white, the flowers mirror the colors of the coast, just a short drive to the east.

"I do flowers seven days a week, literally live and breathe flowers all the time," she said with a laugh.

Leafsong is also a progressive organizer, and at the farm last summer, she hosted Graham Platner's first fundraiser for his U.S. Senate campaign. She watched his rise and eventual fall, ending last month when he suspended his campaign over an allegation of rape, which he denies.

Leafsong, a domestic violence survivor, denounced him before then, after growing concerned by previous reporting about Platner's behavior towards women. Now, she's supporting Troy Jackson, the progressive former state senator who Democrats nominated to replace Platner.

Stacy Leafsong was an early Graham Platner supporter. She watched his rise and eventual fall, and is now supporting Troy Jackson. Stacy Leafsong hide caption

The race for Senate in Maine was always expected to be one of the most competitive matchups of the midterms. But the Platner scandal adds pressure to Jackson's already daunting task of chipping away at a key source of support for Republican incumbent Susan Collins: Maine women.

"He really needs to speak to the women in Maine, and really convince them that he's going to advocate well for them," Leafsong said. "Women's issues are much more than childcare and abortion."