D. Allan Kerr is an ex-dockworker, former newspaperman and U.S. Navy veteran living in Kittery, Maine.

Chief among them is the Senate race in Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is facing reelection in a state Trump lost by about 7 points in 2024.

Maine’s 2026 election cycle is expected to be highly competitive, with political experts anticipating some races to draw significant national attention and campaign spending.

Regardless of the outcome, what occurs in Maine this year will tell us much about the future of not only the state but the country. Even if Maine doesn’t transform into a swing state, we will, at least, regain our status as a bellwether — for better or for worse.

It will finish as the most expensive campaign in Maine history, and one of the most hard-fought races ever — in both the primary and the general. The Senate race will sweep up so much oxygen that it will overpower the gubernatorial race, especially in the primary.