Maine Senate Debate: Collins, Jackson Clash in Final Faceoff

The maine senate debate series ended Thursday night with its sharpest exchanges yet, as Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson traded personal blows in their fourth and final faceoff before the November 3 midterms.

The hourlong debate turned testy early when a protester loudly interrupted the candidates. Collins remarked, “So this is obviously one of Troy’s supporters” — and Jackson shot back, “Oh, shut up,” adding that he didn’t know the protester.

Trump Record Takes Center Stage

Jackson has spent the campaign tying Collins to President Donald Trump, arguing her occasional breaks with the GOP have not curbed the administration’s agenda. Collins, in turn, has repeatedly pointed to moments she opposed the president.

Pressed by a moderator to name a time she stood up to Trump and changed the outcome, Collins said she had organized fellow Republicans to vote against Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as defense secretary — only for one Republican to change his mind at the last minute, saving the nomination. The moderator noted the outcome had not changed.

A Race for Control of the Senate

Maine is one of a handful of races that will decide which party controls the Senate, with Democrats needing to net four seats to flip the chamber. The Collins-Jackson contest has featured a string of tense debates marked by clashes over health care, energy costs and corruption.

With less than three weeks to Election Day, both campaigns are treating the final debate as a last chance to define the race’s closing argument.

Source: NBC News