A Lewiston native who worked on Capitol Hill announced Wednesday that he will run as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat held by Susan Collins.

Jordan Wood, 35, founded democracyFIRST, a bipartisan pro-democracy organization, worked as a vice president of End Citizens United, and served as chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.

Jordan Wood. Contributed photo

“I was born and raised in Lewiston. My dad was a pastor, and my mom a teacher. Now I’m raising my family in Maine. I’ve spent the last decade taking on the powerful and well-connected, fighting to get big money out of our politics and trying to fix a broken system,” Wood said in a statement announcing his campaign.

“This is a make-or-break moment for Maine. And Susan Collins? She says she’s worried, she’s concerned. Maine needs more than concern,” he said. “I’m running for Senate because we need a leader who is up for the fight and can stand up to bullies, like we always have in Maine. It’s time for courage, not concern.”

Collins, the only Republican senator in New England and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is seeking a sixth term in the November 2026 election.

The Senate race in Maine is expected to be among the most hard-fought and expensive in the country, and it could determine the balance of power in Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term.

Wood, who posted a video announcing his campaign, joins a growing field of candidates for the seat. Four other challengers have officially registered with the Federal Elections Commission so they can begin to raise and spend campaign funds.

They include Natasha Alcala, a Democrat from Madawaska; Phillip Rench, an independent candidate who lives in Waterboro; and Republicans Daniel Smeriglio, of Frenchville, and Carmen Vincent Calabrese, both of whom would need to knock off Collins in a party primary.

Collins’ campaign spokesman Shawn Roderick issued a written statement about the new challenger.

“We welcome Jordan Wood to the race,” Roderick said. “Neither the senator nor her staff in Maine knows Mr. Wood, but we understand that he was a key adviser 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.”