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Susan Collins And Troy Jackson Clash In Maine Senate Debate Over Trump, Cost Of Living, Abortion
First Maine Senate debate: Collins and Jackson spar over Trump, abortion, and cost of living. Jackson accuses Collins of siding with Trump, contributing to rising costs of living in Maine.
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First Debate in Maine
Susan Collins and Troy Jackson clashed in Maine’s first Senate debate, trading attacks over President Donald Trump, the cost of living and abortion. Troy Jackson tried to tie Collins to Trump by name-checking her at least 20 times in one hour and saying, “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything.” Susan Collins emphasized instances when she opposed the Trump administration and touted $1.5 billion in federal funds she has brought home to Maine for 672 projects in the last five years, saying, “from Madawaksa to Kittery, from Eastport to Rumford.”
Jackson also said he votes in alignment with Trump 96% of the time, while Collins questioned the methodology of the study he cited and dodged questions about whether she would stand with Trump if he visited Maine. Collins framed her approach to abortion and the Supreme Court around her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and her view that she judges nominees by their qualifications, while Jackson pressed her on whether she would admit she was wrong.
Abortion, ICE, and Trump
Troy Jackson asked Collins, “Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?” as he tied her to Brett Kavanaugh’s role in the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn federal abortion rights in Roe v. Wade.
Susan Collins responded that she looks at justice nominees for “whether they’re fit to serve on the court” rather than trying to predict how they would vote, and she said, “I’m not exactly his favorite senator.”
The debate also centered on immigration and enforcement, with Jackson accusing Collins of not pushing back against ICE, after he cited an ICE officer’s killing of a Mainer this year.
Collins countered by saying she has voted against Trump more than she did Joe Biden when the Democrat was president, and she argued she has pushed back against Trump on tariffs, immigration enforcement and the war in Iran.
As the candidates sparred over Trump’s role in the race, Collins dodged whether she would stand with Trump if he visited Maine, saying she does not expect him to come and that she is “not exactly his favorite senator.”
What’s at Stake
The Maine Senate race is framed as crucial for control of the chamber, with polling showing a tight contest between Troy Jackson and Susan Collins among registered voters statewide.
Marist Poll results put Jackson at 51% and Collins at 47% among registered voters in the U.S. Senate race in Maine, and independents break for Jackson 52% to 45%.
The same Marist Poll found 57% of Maine voters think Collins will actually win the Senate contest against Jackson, 41%, and it reported that 44% of registered voters statewide say their personal finances have gotten worse over the last year.
The debate also fed into broader scrutiny of Collins’s record on abortion and her relationship with Trump, with Reproductive Freedom for All saying Collins “lied to Maine voters again tonight” and linking her Kavanaugh vote to the fall of Roe.
Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said, “Susan Collins lied to Maine voters again tonight — she knows her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court paved the way for the fall of _Roe._”