Susan Collins, Troy Jackson Clash Over Trump And Abortion Rights In Maine Senate Debate

Republican Senator Susan Collins sought to distance herself from Donald Trump while Democratic challenger Troy Jackson attacked her over her ties to the president and her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the first debate of Maine’s Senate race on Tuesday.

Jackson repeatedly sought to tie Collins to Trump, while Collins highlighted her record of breaking with the president and her own party. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and Democrats are targeting Collins’ seat as they seek to regain control of the chamber.

Jackson targets Collins over Kavanaugh and abortion

Jackson put abortion rights at the centre of his attack by pointing to Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm Kavanaugh, a Trump nominee who later joined the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.

Collins supports abortion rights and has said Kavanaugh assured her during his confirmation process that Roe was settled law. She has continued to defend her decision to support him and recently said she does not regret the vote.

Jackson questioned whether Maine voters could trust Collins if another Supreme Court vacancy arose.

“Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?” Jackson asked, according to The Associated Press.

Jackson focused on Collins’ procedural vote to advance Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, using it to challenge her claim of independence from the president. Collins ultimately broke with Republicans and voted against the final legislation, AP reported.

Jackson used the Kavanaugh vote and Collins’ vote to advance the tax-and-spending bill to question her record of independence from Trump.

Collins defended the vote by saying she judges Supreme Court nominees on their qualifications rather than on how she expects them to rule on individual issues. She has said Kavanaugh assured her that Roe was settled law.

Collins highlights breaks with Trump

Collins responded by stressing the issues on which she has opposed Trump.

She said she had voted against Trump more often than she did Joe Biden when the Democrat was president. Collins also said she had voted against her own party more than any other senator on either side of the aisle, according to AP.

She cited disagreements with Trump over tariffs, immigration enforcement and military action. Collins also voted to convict Trump after his 2021 impeachment over his role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Collins has said she did not vote for Trump in 2016. In January, she joined Republican colleagues in backing a failed effort to limit Trump’s ability to use military force unilaterally in Venezuela. Trump responded by saying the senators involved “should never be elected to office again”, AP reported.

The moderator asked Collins whether she would campaign alongside Trump if he came to Maine. Trump has floated the possibility of campaigning in the state as he seeks to support Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.

“I’m not exactly his favorite senator,” Collins said, adding that she did not expect Trump to come to Maine.

Trump lost Maine statewide in 2024, although he carried the state’s more conservative Second Congressional District.

Jackson cited an analysis showing Collins had voted with Trump more than 95% of the time. Collins called the figure misleading, arguing that the measure covered only a portion of the votes. Collins called the figure misleading, arguing that the measure covered only a portion of the votes.

Jackson used the figure to challenge Collins’ claim of independence from Trump, while Collins pointed to her record of opposing the president and his policies.

Trump tax bill becomes another flashpoint

Jackson repeatedly returned to Collins’ vote to advance Trump’s 2025 tax and spending legislation, using it to challenge her claim of independence from the president.

Collins ultimately voted against the final legislation, but Jackson focused on the earlier procedural vote that allowed the bill to move forward. Collins said she allowed the bill to advance so she could secure a $50 billion rural healthcare fund, while opposing the final legislation over its Medicaid provisions.

Jackson focused on Collins’ procedural vote, while Collins pointed to her eventual opposition to the bill and her efforts to change provisions affecting Maine.

Costs, tariffs and Maine voters

The candidates also turned to Maine’s high housing and energy costs, with Collins seeking to shift some responsibility for the state’s affordability problems to Jackson.

Collins pointed to Jackson’s time as president of the Maine Senate and criticised what she called “Augusta’s failed policies”. She highlighted her seniority in Washington and said she had secured about $1.5 billion for 672 projects in Maine over the past five years.

“Leadership matters in Washington,” Collins said, according to AP.

Jackson challenged Collins’ record and argued that Mainers were still dealing with high costs despite her years in Washington.

The candidates also clashed over Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods. Collins has opposed parts of Trump’s trade policy and sought exemptions for Maine products affected by the tariffs. Reuters reported in September that she had pushed for carve-outs for industries affected by the trade dispute, including products such as road salt and cement.

Maine’s economic relationship with Canada makes the tariff issue particularly important to the state, where businesses and consumers are affected by cross-border trade. Collins used the exemptions she had sought for Maine products as evidence of her efforts to protect the state from the effects of Trump’s trade policy.

During the debate, Collins highlighted exemptions for Maine products including pulp, concrete and road salt.

Jackson responded with a line aimed at the practical impact of those measures.

“We can’t eat road salt,” he said, according to AP.

Collins cited the exemptions as evidence of her efforts to protect Maine businesses, while Jackson argued that tariffs were contributing to higher costs.

Senate control at stake

The Maine contest is one of the Republican-held Senate seats Democrats are targeting in their effort to take control of the chamber. Collins and Jackson are scheduled to participate in three more debates later this month, according to AP.

The Maine contest is one of the Republican-held Senate seats Democrats are targeting in their effort to take control of the chamber. Collins and Jackson are scheduled to participate in three more debates later this month, according to AP.