During their first head-to-head debate, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson mocked his veteran Republican rival, Senator Susan Collins, as an “arsonist” while Collins sought to distance herself from President Donald Trump.
“Senator Collins is like the arsonist who helped set the fire, and she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Jackson said of Collins during the campaign’s opening face-to-face contest.
Collins, 73, is seeking a sixth term in a difficult political environment. The conservative Republican is running in a state that backed Kamala Harris in 2024, Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Asked whether she would welcome a visit from Trump to Maine in the final month before the midterm election, Collins avoided offering a direct answer and said she did not expect the president to come to the state.
“I don’t think that President Trump is going to come to Maine,” she said. “He’s talking about going to a lot of different states. I’ve heard nothing from his office, and I’m not exactly his favorite senator.”
Trump said Monday, however, that Maine could be included on his campaign itinerary. “I think we’re going to Maine too,” he said when asked about his upcoming schedule.
Jackson cited one study showing that Collins voted with Trump 95 percent of the time. Collins countered with a separate analysis that put her support for the president at 72 percent, while showing that she voted with Biden 92 percent of the time.
“This study found that I voted against my party more than any other senator on either side of the aisle,” Collins said, highlighting her reputation for independence as she attempts to separate herself from the unpopular Trump administration.
Jackson branded Collins an “arsonist” and sought to link her to the Trump administration, while the senator emphasized her differences with the president.
Collins continued to distance herself from President Donald Trump and declined to say whether she would meet with him if he campaigned in Maine.
Jackson also accused Collins of helping Trump shape a Supreme Court that ultimately overturned the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade. Collins responded that she is the only Republican senator to have voted for three Democratic-nominated Supreme Court justices.
The debate was the first of four scheduled encounters between Collins and Jackson over the next two weeks.
Early voting began on October 5, allowing Maine voters to cast ballots as the closely watched Senate contest takes shape. The outcome could help determine whether Trump and the Republican Party retain control of Washington.
Maine is among several competitive Senate battlegrounds for Republicans. Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas are also viewed as toss-up races.
The Republican Senate seat in North Carolina, by contrast, is considered nearly lost, and the party has withdrawn its financial support from the race.
Democrats must gain four seats to take control of the Senate, making Maine a critical part of the party’s strategy, according to many political strategists.
Polls indicate that the cost of living and inflation rank among voters’ top concerns. The war in Iran is also pushing prices higher, adding to economic anxiety.
Trump remains unpopular in a state carried by Harris in the 2024 presidential race. Collins has long maintained her distance from the MAGA leader and his senior allies, occasionally rebuking the president publicly.
Recent surveys show the Maine Senate race effectively tied, with most results falling within the polls’ margins of error. Jackson holds a narrow advantage in many of the surveys.
Both candidates have had scandals erupt during the contentious campaign that already saw former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner spectacularly drop out after a slew of sexual misconduct allegations.
Early voting began on October 5, meaning Maine residents are already casting ballots in the toss-up race that will determine whether Trump and his Republican Party will hold onto power in Washington
Join the discussion
Should Maine voters trust Susan Collins’ claims of independence from Trump, or is it just political spin?
Filling in as the Democratic candidate, Jackson, self-styled as a ‘fifth-generation logger,’ has stirred headlines after it was revealed his longtime partner and mother of his two sons is also his second cousin by blood, according to The Maine Wire.
Collins, meanwhile, helped a little-known defense contractor in Hawaii win millions in contracts while the company bankrolled her re-election campaigns, according to a ProPublica investigation. It’s a charge she’s vehemently denied.
