Personal sparks, billionaire donations and party loyalty fuel Maine Senate debates

Susan Collins and Troy Jackson clashed over political independence and billionaire donors in the fourth Maine Senate debate ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

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Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, blasted Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in a Senate debate on Thursday, Oct. 8, after he suggested he was financially invested in the conflict. (Credit: WMTW, October 8)

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson clashed over billionaire donors, party loyalty and working-class voters Thursday night as their fourth debate took a notably personal turn.

In the first moments of the debate, Jackson asked Collins whether he had meaningfully pushed back on Republican-led decisions he disagreed with. Collins defended his record, questioning whether Jackson stood up to his party when pursuing Maine's best interests.

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Near the beginning of the night, Collins questioned whether Jackson had actually followed through on his campaign promises to reject billionaire donors aligned with his and other Democrats' campaigns, pointing to FEC contribution records that appeared to contradict those assurances.

"And as many billionaires as possible in my campaign, that's true," Jackson admitted. "But I didn't have..."

Jackson paused for a moment, and members of the crowd reacted audibly to the admission.

He continued: "I have not made any deals with those billionaires like Senator Collins. When I get to the US Senate, I will tax those billionaires."

Jackson did not specify what agreements he was referring to.

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Jackson questions Collins' independence from Trump and the Republicans

Collins also faced questions about his independence from President Donald Trump. At one point, the host asked him to identify an example where he defied the president and changed the outcome of a decision.

Collins noted his opposition to the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was scrutinized during his nomination for his qualifications and allegations of personal conduct.

"At one point, I organized people to vote against Secretary Hexett. As you've no doubt read, at the last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would have been defeated for this," Collins said.

Jackson replied that despite Collins' opposition, Hexett was eventually approved.

"Senator Collins likes to have it both ways. I mean, the reality is that 100% of the time Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there. It's happened time and time again," Jackson said.

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Jackson defended his independence by citing a conflict with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills during her tenure in the state Senate.

"How, Jackson asked, can I be the rubber stamp that my own governor — a Democratic governor — vetoes my 40 bills?

Jackson had repeatedly challenged Collins about his voting record in his three previous debates. Collins disputed her description of her background, arguing that she overstated how much she was on Trump's side.

“You've heard Troy say that I vote with the president 92 or 94 percent of the time. which only gets a third of the votes. "If you look at 90 percent of the vote, you'll see that I'm voting with him 72 percent of the time, not 95 percent of the time," Collins said.

Jackson takes a personal swing by digging into Collins' "working class."

The discussion turned personal near the end when Jackson, a former lumberjack, questioned whether Collins looked down on him because of his working-class background.

“You know, you kept saying I had no experience. You said just tonight that I can't do the things you do. "Growing up as a working-class person, I have all kinds of experiences," Jackson said.

And so, I guess, you know, what I'm curious about - are you just looking at me or is it working class people in general?

Collins denied the charge and pointed to his working-class roots.

"Troy, I don't look up to you or anybody. I grew up in the Caribou. My first job was picking potatoes. I've been working since I was ten years old, literally since I was ten years old. I have a lot of respect for all Maine people," Collins said.

The debate began as Collins and Jackson hit the campaign trail ahead of Maine's Nov. 3 general election, with control of the U.S. Senate at stake.