Susan Collins and Troy Jackson clash over Trump and seniority in Maine’s first Senate debate

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson debated for the first time Tuesday in Maine, trading attacks over President Donald Trump, the cost of living and abortion in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.Maine is central to Democrats’ path to the Senate majority, as they try to capitalize on the president’s unpopularity. Jackson tried to do just that on Tuesday by tying Collins to Trump, name-checking the president at least 20 times in one hour of debating on CBS13 News.“It matters who you stand with,” Jackson said in his opening statement. “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything. I don’t fight for billionaires like she does.”Collins, meanwhile, emphasized multiple instances where she opposed the Trump administration.She also sought to localize the race and pitch her seniority — and her perch as chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee — as a boost to Maine. She touted $1.5 billion in federal funds that she has brought home to the state for 672 projects in the last five years, “from Madawaksa to Kittery, from Eastport to Rumford.”“I’ve been able to bring home federal dollars to help ease the burden on our taxpayers,” Collins said.Jackson set the tone for the debate early by connecting Collins to Trump and repeatedly saying she votes in alignment with him 96% of the time in the Senate. Collins questioned the methodology of the study he cited.In a moment that captured her tricky relationship with her party’s leader, Collins dodged two questions about whether she would stand with the president if he visited Maine, with Trump recently teasing a visit to the Pine Tree State. Collins said only that she doesn’t expect him to come and that she’s “not exactly his favorite senator.”Collins’ answer prompted a grin from Jackson. Trump has said Collins is “not my favorite person” but nevertheless endorsed her for re-election, and Vice President JD Vance has come to Maine and backed her at events. Polls show a neck-and-neck race between Collins and Jackson, often within the margin of error, as Collins seeks to defy gravity yet again and win a sixth term in the blue-leaning state. She is the only GOP senator representing a state Trump lost in 2024. Both parties are spending tens of millions of dollars to hold a seat that carries major implications for control of the chamber, and a victory for Collins would constrict Democrats’ path to the Senate majority. Jackson also highlighted Collins’ pivotal vote in 2018 to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, doing away with the federal right to abortion. Tuesday’s debate fell on the anniversary of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote in the Senate.Collins said she judges every nominee by their qualifications, and she noted that she also supported justices who voted to uphold Roe v. Wade.“In fact, I am the only Republican senator to have voted for Justice [Sonia] Sotomayor, [Elena] Kagan, and [Ketanji Brown] Jackson, who were nominated by a Democratic senator,” Collins said.Collins also hit back against attempts to tie her to the end of Roe v. Wade, referencing Jackson’s more conservative stance on abortion earlier in his career and quipping, “There’s only one of us on this stage who has always been pro-choice and that’s me.” Jackson did not engage with the barb in the moment, but he noted in his closing statement that he pushed for progressive abortion policies in the state Legislature.Jackson’s spokesperson, Dan Gottlieb, told NBC News earlier on Tuesday that he would oppose any Trump Supreme Court nominee in his final two years, should a vacancy open up — a view shared by some other Democrats.Jackson also said Collins voted to advance Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” which contains about $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts that are unpopular.That sparked a brushback from Collins, who noted that she voted against the president’s signature second-term legislation when it came to final passage. The senator said she has “never voted” to cut Medicaid.“He knows I voted against President Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment,” Collins said, while adding that she used the process to support a $50 billion rural health care fund.Jackson doubled down.“Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” he said. “She could have stopped it.”Collins went after Jackson’s “failed” policies as a state lawmaker in Maine, connecting them to higher housing costs and property taxes. She additionally questioned his talents as a legislator and whether he could be effective as a junior senator in a divided Senate.When the topic turned to immigration, Jackson cited an ICE officer’s fatal killing of a Mainer earlier this year, saying that it happened because “Senator Collins would not push back against ICE.”Collins said the shooting was “horrific” and “demonstrates that ICE needs further reform.” She said she supported increased funding for body-worn cameras as well as training of officers and teamed up with the Maine delegation to demand answers from the Trump administration.In her closing statement, Collins said, “To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority, and relationships. That combination has allowed me to pass bipartisan legislation.”Jackson questioned whether she has used her power well.“Tonight, Senator Collins has told us how powerful she is,” he said in his closing statement. “But power means nothing if you won’t use it when the people may need it.”