Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson are set to debate Tuesday, the first time voters will see them share a stage.
Democrats have long coveted Collins’ seat, which she has held since 1996. But she’s never faced a reelection battle quite like this. The opponent Democratic voters nominated in June, Graham Platner, abruptly withdrew from the race after a woman credibly accused him of sexual assault. (Platner has denied the allegation.) Jackson was nominated to replace Platner at a convention later that month.
Most polls show Jackson ahead of Collins, but the incumbent is outspending him on the airwaves. Tonight’s debate is certain to feature talk about the cost of living, the Iran War, President Donald Trump and Collins’ recent spate of negative national press. Follow along with us live here.
That’s a wrap!
Thanks for following along with us. Until next time.
-Kirby Wilson and Billy Kobin
But I didn’t see anything game changing. Three more debates to go!
-Kirby Wilson
“To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority and relationships. That combination has allowed me to pass bipartisan legislation,” Collins said.
Jackson said that “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything. You know, I owe the people of the state everything.” He brought up again how Collins voted with Trump around 96% of the time and that she’s been fighting for “the billionaire class.”
“Tonight, Sen. Collins has told us how powerful she is, but power means nothing if you won’t use it when the people in Maine need it,” Jackson said, adding he passed legislation at the State House to lower prescription drug costs, support childcare and provide universal school meals along with sponsoring abortion access legislation.
“I’m never going to forget where I came from. I’m an everyday person that is so indebted to people who put me in this position to fight for them,” Jackson said.
The two shared a laugh when moderator Gregg Lagerquist of WGME said at the end he was going to ask both of them during the lightning round if the New England Patriots will make the playoffs.
Collins said they absolutely will, and razzed Jackson for being a Steelers fan.
Each candidate left the stage smiling.
-Kirby Wilson
-There should be more restrictions on data centers
-Mifepristone, which is a medication used for abortions, should be available.
But the candidates disagreed over:
-Whether Americans should have to show ID at the polls. (Collins: Yes. Jackson: No.)
-Whether Israel should have the same level of support from the U.S. government, less support, or more support. (Collins: the same. Jackson: less, but there was more nuance to this answer.)
-Kirby Wilson
A note on the style of the candidates
To touch on the optics of the debate or the tone so far, Collins has repeatedly gotten defensive when Jackson has criticized her. It feels safe to say Jackson has been more on offense rather than defense. Not an entirely surprising thing given the incumbent often faces plenty of attacks.
-Billy Kobin
Jackson criticized Collins for voting for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who Jackson said was clearly going to push for tariffs, long one of Trump’s signature policy aims.
“I’m not going to give her credit for getting one thing back,” Jackson said, when thousands of other items are more expensive under Trump.
-Kirby Wilson
Collins reiterated that “you cannot abolish ICE” while saying it needs reforms. She argued the $70 billion figure that Jackson cited was not really all for ICE but rather split between ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
“You don’t (pour) more money into an agency that is killing people across the country,” Jackson said.
-Billy Kobin
Jackson promises to not be a “blank check” for any president, Republican or Democrat.
-Kirby Wilson
Jackson said he supports Medicare for All and wants to help Mainers get covered.
While Collins points to her 2017 vote to block a Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Jackson noted she and Republicans let ACA tax credits expire at the end of 2025.
-Billy Kobin
He questions whether Collins has done any better in her 30 years, as she has introduced more than 1,200 bills and seen a few dozen become law (per GovTrack).
-Billy Kobin
Collins responds by noting that she’s always been pro-choice, and that Jackson hasn’t.
“I clearly don’t agree with how Brett Kavanaugh voted on Roe v. Wade,” Collins said.
-Kirby Wilson
Collins referred to Navatek and its former CEO Martin Kao, calling him a “crook.” She mentioned the University of Maine project that Navatek was involved in and a photo of the two of them together, saying that photo was taken months before there was “ever a contribution” from Kao.
Jackson wouldn’t let her get off easy on this, and he brought up how Trump ended the FBI probe that was continuing into Kao and the pro-Collins super PAC. Collins kept criticizing all of this as false.
Collins then brought up Jackson’s past case in which a Republican lawmaker filed an ethics complaint against him for using an Augusta home when serving in the Legislature.
The Maine Ethics Commission voted unanimously against investigating Jackson in 2023, and commissioners noted they could only weigh in on whether Jackson violated any campaign finance rules through the Augusta residence and not on the additional claims that he committed crimes such as mortgage fraud.
-Billy Kobin
In January, Trump said Collins “should never be elected to office again,” though relations between the two seem to have improved since then.
-Billy Kobin and Kirby Wilson
“Whatever,” Jackson said of her rate of voting for the president’s priorities. “It’s far too often.”
-Billy Kobin
“Sen. Collins is like an arsonist who helps set the fire and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Jackson said, emphasizing she advanced the bill and that GOP colleagues have “called her a team player.”
-Billy Kobin
Jackson fired back by saying Mainers are struggling because Collins has failed to stand up for Donald Trump as he wages war in Iran.
-Kirby Wilson
It was a more aggressive opening statement than Collins’.
-Kirby Wilson
And we’re off!
The debate has officially started! Should be an interesting one. You can watch live here.
-Kirby Wilson
It will be interesting to see how aggressive Jackson is with his attacks and whether he can land a few blows. He’s not the most gifted speaker, so how he delivers his attacks and responds to Collins’ rebuttals will be important to watch.
Meanwhile, Collins, 73, will have to parry those attacks from Jackson and try to land a few rhetorical punches of her own. Her campaign spoke with reporters earlier today about how they plan to push back on pay-to-play allegations made in a ProPublica story two weeks ago. And she and her Republican allies have been mining Jackson’s legislative record for problematic votes.
This will be Collins’ first televised debate in roughly six years. Her energy and sharpness will likely be scrutinized.
Collins, who has been in office for nearly 30 years, clearly has an advantage when it comes to in-depth knowledge about national policy and international affairs. Jackson has to hold his own without making any gaffes that could live on in social media posts or advertisements.
-Randy Billings
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