A protester disrupted the final debate between Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in Maine, setting off a heated back-and-forth after Collins suggested the demonstrator was one of Jackson’s supporters.
The protester shouted while Collins was speaking: “I’m terrified. AI data centers are destroying our climate. They are poisoning our water.” Security removed the man from the hall.
Collins immediately tied him to her opponent, saying, “So this is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.”
Jackson shot back: “Oh, shut up, I did not — I didn’t, I don’t even know who that kid.”
A second sharp exchange followed minutes later during a segment where each candidate could question the other directly. Jackson, who like Collins grew up in rural northern Maine, asked: “What I’m curious about — is it just me that you look down on, or is it working class people overall?”
Collins responded: “Troy, I do not look down on you or on anyone. I grew up in Caribou. My first job was picking potatoes.”
Trump ties and bipartisan claims
Jackson has worked throughout the campaign to link Collins to President Donald Trump, whose approval ratings have fallen in Maine and nationally. “The reality is a 100% of the time when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there,” Jackson said.
Collins pushed back, arguing there is “a major difference between Troy and me. I vote very independently … I am the most bipartisan member of the Senate.” She added of Jackson: “We don’t need more people who are going to vote a straight party line.”
Beyond the heated exchanges, the two spent much of the hour-long debate clashing over the Iran War, immigration, rising fuel prices and electricity rates, budget deficits, Supreme Court reform, dark money in politics, an assault weapons ban, and climate change.
A toss-up race with national stakes
Collins, seeking a sixth term in a state Trump lost in 2024, is the only Republican senator running for re-election in a state the president did not carry. Democrats view the seat as a top opportunity to flip the chamber this fall. Current polling shows the race within the margin of error, and the Fox News Power Rankings, along with the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, all rate it a toss-up.
Jackson, a former logger and ex-state Senate president, won the Democratic nomination at a special nominating convention in late July after primary winner Graham Platner dropped out following allegations he raped a woman he had previously dated. Platner denied the allegations but ended his campaign. Jackson had campaigned alongside Platner during the primary and earlier this year had run unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Collins has a track record of beating back Democratic challenges. Six years ago she trailed Sara Gideon, then the Maine House speaker, in polling but still won by nearly nine points, even as Joe Biden carried the state by a similar margin that year.
