Collins and Jackson clash in first Maine Senate debate as race stays tight
In short
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met Tuesday night in Portland for the first of four scheduled Maine Senate debates. Jackson repeatedly tied Collins to President Donald Trump, saying she votes with him 96% of the time, while Collins stressed her independence, saying she is “not exactly his favorite senator,” and touted federal funds she has brought to Maine as Senate Appropriations chair. The race is seen as central to control of the Senate and polls show it close.
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Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson debated for the first time Tuesday night in Portland, Maine, in a race that outlets describe as central to control of the Senate. The hourlong debate, aired on WGME-TV, was the first of four the candidates are scheduled to hold over two weeks, with the next set for Thursday. CNN described the exchange as spirited but civil. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 10 ]
Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, sought to nationalise the race by tying Collins to President Donald Trump. NBC News reported he name-checked Trump at least 20 times in one hour and said she votes in alignment with the president 96% of the time; Collins questioned the methodology of the study he cited. “It matters who you stand with,” Jackson said in his opening statement, according to NBC News. “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything.” [ 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Collins, seeking a sixth term, presented herself as independent of her party’s leader. She said she is “not exactly his favorite senator,” noted that she voted against her own party more than any other senator and said she voted with Democratic President Joe Biden more than 90% of the time, according to the Guardian US. NBC News reported she twice dodged a question about whether she would stand with Trump if he visited Maine, saying only that she does not expect him to come. Trump has said Collins is “not my favorite person” but has endorsed her, and Vice President JD Vance has campaigned for her in the state. [ 3 , 7 , 10 , 14 ]
Collins leaned on her seniority, telling the debate she has brought home $1.5 billion in federal funds for 672 projects in Maine over five years, “from Madawaska to Kittery, from Eastport to Rumford,” NBC News reported. She chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and said, “I’ve been able to bring home federal dollars to help ease the burden on our taxpayers.” CNN reported she described her record as “effective leadership.” [ 3 , 10 , 13 ]
Jackson repeatedly returned to Collins’s 2018 vote confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which he tied to the court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. “Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?” he asked, according to the Associated Press and CNN. The Hill noted Collins has said she does not regret the vote and that it cost her support among Maine Democrats in 2020. [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
The candidates also sparred over immigration, healthcare, abortion rights, the cost of living, the war in Iran and tariffs on Canada, according to the debate coverage. CNN reported that Collins called a ProPublica story alleging a pay-to-play scheme involving her office “completely false” and “very offensive,” while Jackson said it showed how “politicians are bought and paid for.” The New York Post reported that Jackson criticised voter ID policy. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 13 ]
Jackson became the Democratic nominee in July after Graham Platner, a former harbour master who had built momentum on a populist progressive platform, withdrew amid sexual assault allegations, which he denied. Collins, first elected in 2014, is a top Democratic target in the midterms in a state Trump lost three times. Most polls show a razor-thin race, and outlets including Bloomberg describe the contest as important to who controls the Senate and with it influence over spending, taxes and Supreme Court picks. [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
Why it matters
Maine is described by several outlets as central to Democratic hopes of winning a Senate majority, and the race is rated a toss-up in the fight for chamber control. The result would affect spending, taxes and Supreme Court picks, according to Bloomberg. Collins is also seeking a sixth term in a state that has voted against Trump three times, making her handling of the president a central campaign question.
Key facts
- The first of four scheduled debates between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson was held Tuesday night in Portland, Maine, and aired on WGME-TV. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 10 ]
- Jackson repeatedly sought to tie Collins to President Donald Trump, saying she votes in alignment with him 96% of the time; Collins questioned the methodology of the study he cited. [ 3 ]
- Collins said she is “not exactly his favorite senator” and cited her record of voting against her own party and with President Joe Biden more than 90% of the time. [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she has brought home $1.5 billion in federal funds for 672 projects in Maine over the last five years. [ 3 ]
- Jackson focused on Collins’s 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and tied it to the court’s later overturning of Roe v. Wade. [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- Jackson replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in July after Platner withdrew amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. [ 6 , 7 , 10 ]
- Several outlets described the race as neck-and-neck or razor-thin in the polls. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 13 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Collins and Jackson held their first debate Tuesday night, the first of four scheduled, in a race seen as important to Senate control. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 10 ]
- Jackson sought to link Collins to Trump during the debate, while Collins presented herself as independent of him. [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- Collins cited her seniority and her position as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in arguing she brings federal money to Maine. [ 3 , 10 , 13 ]
- Jackson raised Collins’s 2018 vote confirming Justice Brett Kavanaugh and its link to the end of the federal right to abortion. [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 13 ]
- Polls cited by multiple outlets show a close race between Collins and Jackson. [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 13 ]
Still unclear
- Whether President Trump will visit Maine to campaign for Collins Collins said she has heard nothing from his office and does not expect him to come; she twice dodged a question on whether she would stand with him if he did, according to NBC News and the New York Post.
- The claim that Collins votes with Trump 96% of the time Jackson cited the figure during the debate and Collins questioned the methodology of the study behind it; only NBC News documents the exchange.
- A ProPublica story alleging a pay-to-play scheme involving Collins’s office Reported in only one document in this set; Collins said at the debate that the allegations were “completely false” and “very offensive,” while Jackson said they showed how politicians are “bought and paid for.”
- The exact wording of Jackson’s opening statement NBC News and the Guardian US report different phrasing of his opening line about who he stands with.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The first Collins-Jackson debate is scheduled to begin, according to the Boston Globe. [ 1 ]
- NBC News reports the debate has taken place, with Jackson name-checking Trump at least 20 times in an hour and Collins touting federal funds for Maine. [ 3 ]
- The Boston Globe publishes three takeaways, noting the debate is the first of four before Election Day. [ 4 ]
- The Guardian US reports Collins distanced herself from Trump and said she opposes the Iran war and Canada tariffs. [ 7 ]
- The Associated Press reports Collins saying she is “not exactly his favorite senator.” [ 8 ]
- CNN reports the debate was held in Portland and that Collins called ProPublica’s pay-to-play allegations “completely false.” [ 10 ]
- CBS News reports the debate was often testy and that most polls show a razor-thin race. [ 13 ]