Maine Senator Susan Collins Concedes to Democrat Troy Jackson

Mike Staggs, a 55-year-old museum worker from Mount Desert Island, says that when he first moved to Maine 37 years ago, Collins “was a lot more moderate.”

“In the last couple Administrations, she’s seemed less interested in Maine and more about moving up the ladder,” he tells TIME.

Marla O’Byrne, 70, an independent voter from Southwest Harbor who retired from working with nonprofits last year, also voted for Jackson. O’Byrne was CEO of Friends of Acadia, which raised funds for Acadia National Park. She calls Collins, whom she had voted for in the past, an engaged supporter of the organization but says that ultimately didn’t outweigh her desire for Democrats to take control of Congress.

“There are times where being middle of the road, being a moderate may be the best way to go but I don’t think that’s where we are,” O’Byrne says. 

“I think we’re looking at more than what Maine needs,” she adds. “We’re facing an existential crisis as a democracy.”