A Democrat from Bristol is the latest person to announce plans to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins next year.
Jordan Wood grew up in Lewiston but spent about a decade working in politics in Washington, D.C. He served for several years as vice president of End Citizens United, a group working to overturn the controversial Supreme Court decision that opened the door to unlimited spending in elections by corporations, labor unions and other groups.
Wood also served as chief of staff to former Congresswoman Katie Porter, a Democrat from California, and most recently led the group democracyFIRST. He and his husband now live in Bristol.
Wood, 35, filed his candidacy paperwork for the 2026 Senate race on Wednesday. He also released a campaign video accusing Collins, Republicans and some Democrats of not doing more to push back against the Trump administration.
"I'm running for U.S. Senate to take our country back from the rich and the well-connected, from the extremists and the cowards who let it happen," Wood said in the video.
A spokesman for the Collins campaign, Shawn Roderick, issued a statement welcoming Wood to the race while adding: "Neither the Senator nor her staff in Maine knows Mr. Wood, but we understand that he was a key advisor to a left-wing Congresswoman from California and has worked for some far-left progressive groups. We look forward to debating our very different visions for Maine if he is the nominee next year."
Maine's senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. Collins handily won her last election in 2020 over a well-funded Democratic opponent, former Maine House Speaker Sarah Gideon, but will likely face additional political headwinds in left-leaning Maine in the next election.
Both parties are planning to spend big on the race again next year with control of the Senate potentially at stake during Trump's final two years in office.
At least three other people have filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to challenge Collins to date: independent Phillip Rench of Waterboro, Republican Carmen Vincent Calebrese of Kennebunkport and Democrat Natasha Alcala of Madawaska.
But the number of candidates is expected to grow considerably headed into next year, with some better-known Democrats — including Gov. Janet Mills — reportedly considering getting into the race.
