Susan Collins, Troy Jackson Clash at Heated Maine Senate Debate Over Corruption, Effectiveness

Senator Susan Collins and her Democratic opponent, former Maine senate president Troy Jackson, clashed in a sometimes ugly debate on Tuesday night, with both candidates accusing each other of corruption, dishonesty, and ineffectiveness. Ms. Collins’s seat is seen as critical to Democrats retaking a Senate majority in November. Ms. Collins has also been considered Democrats’ top target for the midterms, though his ability to remain competitive in a blue state like Maine has Republicans hoping they can pull off an upset. According to recent polling aggregates, Mr. Jackson currently holds a lead between one and two points. Mr. Jackson may be the unlikeliest Senate nominee of the year. After losing the Democratic primary for governor this summer, he was thrust into the Senate race following the withdrawal of Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after being accused of raping an ex-girlfriend. Mr. Jackson was chosen nearly unanimously as the new Senate nominee at a state convention of Maine Democrats a few weeks after Mr. Platner’s withdrawal. At the outset of the debate, Mr. Jackson went hard at Ms. Collins’s record, especially on her deciding vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of the five justices to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. “Eight years ago today, Maine women went to DC and begged Senator Collins not to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, but she did it anyway, even though they begged her,” Mr. Jackson said in his opening statement. “He helped overturn Roe v. Wade and today, she says she has no regrets. I would wonder for everyone, including myself: Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?”On the question of abortion rights, Ms. Collins later shot back at Mr. Jackson, pointing to his past anti-abortion rights stances. Until 2013, Mr. Jackson supported banning abortion in all instances, though he later changed that position and admitted he had been wrong. “I clearly don’t agree with how Brett Kavanaugh voted on Roe v. Wade,” Ms. Collins said, arguing that she voted for the now-justice because of his qualification and his record, and because she never found evidence that he had sexually assaulted anyone, as had been alleged by a former high school classmate. “I would point out that there’s only one of us on this stage who has always been pro-choice, and that’s me,” Ms. Collins said. Later in the debate, Ms. Collins and Mr. Jackson accused each other of corruption, with Ms. Collins pointing to Mr. Jackson’s son being a lobbyist during his father’s time as Maine Senate president, and Mr. Jackson pointing to a recent ProPublic report about an FBI investigation into a $150,000 contribution to her 2020 re-election campaign. Ms. Collins has denied the accusation of a pay-to-play scheme after an imprisoned former businessman claimed that he wrote the $150,000 check in exchange for a multi-million dollar contract to his firm. Mr. Jackson also denied that his son ever had any influence over legislation moving through the Maine legislature. Mr. Jackson’s clear aim of the night was tying Ms. Collins directly to President Trump. Ms. Collins has never endorsed nor voted for the president any of the three times he ran for the White House, and voted to convict him following his second impeachment trial. Mr. Jackson, however, said Ms. Collins has been an enabler, especially during Mr. Trump’s second term. Though Ms. Collins voted against Mr. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, she was the deciding vote to advance the bill on a previous procedural message which allowed the Senate to begin considering the bill. “Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Mr.Jackson argued. “She could’ve stopped it. That’s exactly the point.”Ms. Collins touted her influence as chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee — arguably the most powerful panel on Capitol Hill, given it controls the entirety of federal discretionary spending. She also talked about her votes against tariffs on Canada and her ability to get the White House to change course on tariffs on things like road salt, concrete, and pulp used to make paper. “What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt,” Mr. Jackson shot back.

Susan Collins, Troy Jackson Clash at Heated Maine Senate Debate Over Corruption, Effectiveness

Susan Collins, Troy Jackson Clash at Heated Maine Senate Debate Over Corruption, Effectiveness

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