Jackson Puts Collins on Defensive in US Senate Debates
Last week U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson and Senator Susan Collins participated in two high profile debates on Tuesday and Thursday. The debates on WGME and WMTW covered a range of topics including high fuel prices, the war in Iran, health care, electricity costs and reproductive rights.
"Tonight’s debate has emphasized the importance of this election to working people in Maine, and it has made clear that Troy Jackson is the candidate best suited to help our state move forward,” said Cynthia Phinney, President of the Maine AFL-CIO after the Tuesday debate. “I was proud to hear Troy talk about his record of accomplishment for working families in Maine. And he has well earned his right to elevate his record as evidence of how he will prioritize us in the US Senate. Troy respects working people in a way that Susan Collins never could– Troy is one of us and knows what it’s like in today’s economy.”
During the Tuesday debate, Collins was forced to respond to bombshell investigation reported by ProPublica that she was being investigated by the FBI for steering federal contracts to a major donor as late as early 2025 until President Donald Trump’s ended the investigation by firing Justice Department officials and FBI agents looking into it. Collins denied the allegations using talking points that have been debunked by fact checkers.
When Jackson confronted Collins about her vote to advance the Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful, she argued that the bill contained funding for the Rural Health Transformational Program, which will provide $950 million for Maine hospitals, only 15%of which can be used to replace Medicaid funding cuts. Jackson compared Collins an “arsonist” who sets a fire and then wants credit for bringing a cup of water.
Jackson pointed out that Collins had spent most of her career working for the government and receiving good quality health insurance, so she didn’t understand the health care struggles of ordinary Mainers. In response, Collins, who is a millionaire, claimed that once upon a time, 32 years ago, she could very briefly relate to Mainers struggling to afford health care when she didn’t have health insurance for a year while running for governor in 1994.
“I support Medicare for All, so that people that I know across the state have health care. It's the worst thing in the world for somebody to lay there at night, not know what's happening to them …and be afraid to go and get the services that they need because they know they can't afford it,” said Jackson.
Jackson also criticized Collins for having no regrets for voting to confirm Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh, even after Kavanaugh voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, criminalizing abortions in 13 states, impacting 43% of women of reproductive age.
“What would it take for her to admit that she was wrong? She just said that she doesn't regret that, and I just think that that's unbelievable in light of what happened,” said Jackson. “Brett Kavanaugh was against abortion when she met with him. She knew that was going to happen. And now after it's been overturned, she doesn't regret the vote. Everybody else in Maine and across this country, regrets her vote. I just think it's incredible that she will not admit to being wrong.”
Jackson blasted Collins for handing a blank check to ICE to terrorize our communities. He called it a “rogue agency pushed by Donald Trump to go after black and brown people in this country.”
"They murdered a man in Biddeford," he said. "It's as clear as that. I don't need an inspector general report, you can see it with your own eyes — and Senator Collins should be able to see that with her own eyes, too. You don't put more money into an agency that is killing people across this country.”
On Thursday, Collins was once again put on the defensive as she tried to defend her record while also attempting to distance herself from Trump. She argued that she voted against Trump’s tariffs and the Iran War (after voting for it five times), but Jackson pointed out that she hasn't used her powerful position as Appropriations Chair as leverage to take back congressional control over tariffs and war powers. She also voted for a Senate leadership that has let Trump get away imposing blanket tariffs and attacking other countries. Perhaps the most viral moment of the Tuesday debate was when Collins touted her success in gettng tariffs removed on Canadian road salt, to which Jackson replied, “We can’t eat road salt.”
Collins attempted to blame Jackson for high housing costs (which are unaffordable nationwide), high electricity costs (which are driven by high natural gas prices, an aging grid, storm recovery and legally guaranteed profits for Central Maine Power), and high health insurance premiums, while neglecting to mention that she has voted to drive up insurance costs for self-employed people and small businesses.
On Social Security, Troy Jackson said he would eliminate the payroll tax cap (currently set at $184,500) to make wealthy people pay their fair share to keep the program solvent. Collins said she would support "adjusting the cap." However, when she had the opportunity to keep Social Security solvent, she chose not to. In 2003, Collins voted against an amendment that would have reduced tax cuts to create a dedicated Social Security reserve account. Tax cuts for her rich donors were more important than protecting Social Security.