Personal jabs, billionaire donors and party loyalty fuel heated Maine Senate debate
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson clashed over billionaire donors, party loyalty and working-class voters Thursday night as their fourth debate took a notably personal turn.
In the debate's top moments, Jackson needled Collins over whether she had meaningfully pushed back on Republican-led decisions she disagreed with. Collins defended her record and questioned whether Jackson would stand up to his own party when pursuing the best interests of Maine.
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Near the beginning of the night, Collins questioned whether Jackson had really kept campaign promises to reject billionaire donors that aligned themselves closely with his and other Democratic campaigns, noting FEC contribution records that seemed to clash with those assurances.
"And as far as the billionaires that I might have on my campaign, that is accurate," Jackson admitted. "But I haven't… "
Jackson paused for a moment as members of the crowd gave an audible reaction to the admission.
"I haven’t made any deals like Senator Collins has with those billionaires," he continued. "I’m going to tax those billionaires when I get to the U.S. Senate."
Jackson did not specify what agreements he was referring to.
Collins also faced questions about her independence from President Donald Trump. At one point, the moderator asked her to identify an instance when she had defied the president and changed the outcome of a decision.
Collins cited her opposition to the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth , who faced scrutiny during his nomination over his qualifications and allegations about his personal conduct.
"At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth. As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would have been defeated for that job," Collins said.
Jackson countered that Hegseth was ultimately confirmed despite Collins' opposition.
"Senator Collins likes to have it both ways. I mean, the reality is that 100% of the time when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there. That has happened time and time again," Jackson said.
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Meanwhile, Collins pointed to what she described as a "major difference between Troy and me. I vote very independently. ... I am the most bipartisan member of the Senate."
And referring to Jackson, Collins said, "We don’t need more people who are going to vote a straight party line."
Jackson defended his own independence by pointing to clashes with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills during his tenure in the state Senate .
"How can I be a rubber stamp with my very own governor — a Democratic governor — vetoing 40 of my bills?" Jackson asked.
Jackson had repeatedly challenged Collins over her voting record in their three prior debates . Collins disputed his characterization of her record, arguing that he had overstated how frequently she sided with Trump.
"You have heard Troy say that I vote with the president 92 or 94% of the time; that takes only a third of the votes. If you look at 90% of the votes, you will find that I vote with him 72% of the time, not 95% of the time," Collins said.
The debate took a personal turn near the end when Jackson, a former logger, questioned whether Collins looked down on him because of his working-class background.
"You know, you said consistently that I don't have the experience. You just said it tonight that I wouldn't be able to do the things that you do. Growing up as a working-class person, I have all kinds of experience," Jackson said.
"And so, I guess, you know, what I'm curious about — is it just me that you look down on, or is it working-class people overall?"
Collins rejected the accusation and pointed to her own working-class roots.
"Troy, I do not look down on you or on anyone. I grew up in Caribou. My first job was picking potatoes," Collins said. "I have worked since I was age ten, literally since I was age ten. I have enormous respect for all the people of Maine."
The debate came as Collins and Jackson entered the home stretch of the campaign ahead of Maine's Nov. 3 general election, with control of the U.S. Senate at stake.