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Collins and Jackson locked in tight Maine Senate race, Marist poll finds

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

A Marist University poll released one week before the midterm elections finds Democrat Troy Jackson ahead of Republican Senator Susan Collins 49 percent to 47 percent among likely voters in Maine. The poll was conducted October 22 to 25 among 1,449 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.6 percentage points, so the two-point gap falls within it. The race is described as tight. Collins is the incumbent seeking reelection in a contest that is one of the most competitive of the 2026 midterms.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. A Marist University poll found Troy Jackson ahead of Senator Susan Collins by two points among likely voters in Maine.

    Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill, Newsweek

  2. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 6.6 percentage points, which puts the two-point gap within the margin.

    One side only: the centerReported byCenter2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    The Hill, Newsweek

  3. Collins and Jackson are locked in a tight race ahead of the midterm election.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News
    Center
    The Hill, Newsweek
    Right
    The Center Square

  4. Collins is the only Republican senator representing a state that rejected Donald Trump in all three of his presidential bids.

    One outletNewsweek· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Each side reports a tight Senate race in Maine between Collins and Jackson, with a Marist poll giving Jackson 49 to 47 percent among likely voters. The left headline emphasizes Jackson pulling ahead, the center stresses the two-point margin within its error, and the right stresses the tight race.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    CBS News puts Jackson pulling ahead at the front of its headline and places the poll beside Trump’s campaign stops and Democratic campaigning in Ohio.

    Jackson pulls ahead of Collins in Senate race, new Maine poll shows
    CBS NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines state the two-point margin, and Newsweek frames the race as the candidates’ final appeal to voters.

    Jackson, Collins separated by 2 points in Maine Senate race polling
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Center Square headline reports a poll showing a tight Senate race without saying who leads.

    Poll: Collins and Jackson in tight U.S. Senate race
    The Center SquareRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Mantle found no loaded language in this coverage. Every headline and opening was checked against Mantle’s published word list, and Mantle’s AI read all 4 articles in context. Straight reporting often has none.

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Jackson pulls ahead
  • Trump campaign stops
  • Democratic campaigning

Leaves out

  • the 6.6-point margin of error
  • the 49 to 47 figures

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • CBS NewsLeft

    Jackson pulls ahead of Collins in Senate race, new Maine poll shows

    President Trump continues supporting Republican candidates with campaign stops across the U.S. Meanwhile, musician John Legend campaigned for Democrats in Ohio, and a new Maine poll shows Democrat Troy Jackson leading Republican Susan Collins in a tight Senate race. …

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • two-point margin
  • final appeals to voters
  • Senate balance of power
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • NewsweekCenter

    Susan Collins vs. Troy Jackson: Candidates' Final Appeal to Voters Compared

    Maine's U.S. Senate race could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber after the midterms.

    Read at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    Jackson, Collins separated by 2 points in Maine Senate race polling

    Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is locked in a tight race against her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, according to a new survey. The Marist University poll, released one week before the midterms, found the incumbent trailing Jackson by 2 percentage points among likely voters …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • tight race
  • poll result

Leaves out

  • Jackson’s two-point lead
  • the 49 to 47 figures

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 38 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 9:31 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    The Hill, Oct 27, 7:54 AM EDT

  • Right

    6 hr 32 min later

    Its first report, Oct 27, 2:26 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The HillCenterOct 27, 7:54 AM EDT
  2. CBS NewsLeftOct 27, 9:31 AM EDT
  3. The Center SquareRightOct 27, 2:26 PM EDT
  4. NewsweekCenterOct 27, 6:07 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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