Opinion | It's light's out for the New England GOP

The Boston Globe · Abdallah Fayyad · 2026-11-06 08:00 UTC

The Republican Party has completely collapsed across the region, and there may be no coming back.

Susan Collins first ran for the United States Senate in 1996. During that campaign, she promised that she would serve only two terms. “Twelve years is long enough to be in public service, make a contribution, and then come home and let someone else take your place,” she said.

The Republican went on to serve two terms, and three more after that. During that time, she became one of the most powerful senators in the country — and one of the most unbeatable ones too. Even as Democrats targeted her in election after election, exploiting her vulnerability as a conservative in a part of the country that has been slowly marching leftward, Collins kept winning. It was almost as if she had a superpower. In 2020, when she was running for a fifth term, every single poll had her down going into Election Day, but she still managed to come out on top. After that, it seemed as if she could keep her Senate seat for life.

That changed on Tuesday, when Troy Jackson, a former logger and president of the state Senate, defeated her by a comfortable margin. It was a stunning turn of events — not just for Collins but for Republicans across the region. In 2010, there were four Republican senators from New England. Come January, there will be none.

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