Collins and Jackson clash over Trump and abortion in Maine debate

Republican Sen. Susan Collins sought to put distance between herself and President Donald Trump on Tuesday as Democratic challenger Troy Jackson repeatedly linked her to him in their first televised debate, a close Maine race with implications for control of the Senate.

Jackson invoked Trump at least 20 times during the hourlong WGME-TV debate, according to NBC News. He said Collins votes with the president 96% of the time, a figure whose methodology she disputed. Collins countered that she voted with former President Joe Biden more than 90% of the time during his presidency and had opposed her own party more often than any other senator.

“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.”

Asked twice whether she would stand with Trump if he visited Maine, Collins said she did not expect him to come. “I’m not exactly his favorite senator,” she said. Trump has said Collins is “not my favorite person” but has endorsed her re-election bid, while Vice President JD Vance has campaigned for her in Maine.

The candidates also fought over abortion on the anniversary of Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Jackson tied that vote to the court’s later decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which ended the federal right to abortion. “Would you trust her to pick the next supreme court justice?” he asked.

Collins said she assesses judicial nominees on their qualifications and pointed to her votes for justices who supported Roe. Referring to Jackson’s more conservative position earlier in his career, she said, “There’s only one of us on this stage who has always been pro-choice, and that’s me.” Jackson said in his closing statement that he had pushed for progressive abortion policies in the state Legislature. His spokesperson told NBC News that Jackson would oppose any Trump Supreme Court nominee if a vacancy arose in the president’s final two years.

On healthcare, Jackson accused Collins of helping advance Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which included about $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. Collins said she voted against the bill on final passage, had “never voted” to cut Medicaid and used the legislative process to support a $50 billion rural healthcare fund. Jackson replied: “Sen. Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out.”

Collins highlighted her seniority and role as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, saying she had secured $1.5 billion for 672 Maine projects over five years. She blamed Jackson’s record as a state lawmaker for higher housing costs and property taxes. Collins also cited her opposition to tariffs on Canada, calling it Maine’s neighbor and friend. The Guardian reported that she said she had voted nine times to end the war with Iran, which she called “not well thought out.”

The candidates disagreed over immigration enforcement after Jackson cited the killing of a Mainer by an ICE officer this year. He said Collins had failed to push back against the agency. Collins called the shooting “horrific,” urged further ICE reforms and said she supported more funding for body cameras and officer training.

Polls show a tight contest as Collins seeks a sixth term. She is the only Republican senator from a state Trump lost in 2024, and both parties are spending tens of millions of dollars on a race central to Democrats’ hopes of winning a Senate majority.