Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, pointed to her hometown of Caribou during a tense exchange with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in their fourth debate Thursday night, as the two candidates traded sharp accusations over donors, party loyalty and class background.
The debate grew personal late in the night when Jackson, a former logger, asked Collins whether she looked down on him because of his working-class upbringing.
“You know, you said consistently that I don’t have the experience. You just said it tonight that I wouldn’t be able to do the things that you do. Growing up as a working-class person, I have all kinds of experience,” Jackson said. “And so, I guess, you know, what I’m curious about — is it just me that you look down on, or is it working-class people overall?”
Collins rejected the claim and cited her own upbringing in Caribou.
“Troy, I do not look down on you or on anyone. I grew up in Caribou. My first job was picking potatoes,” Collins said. “I have worked since I was age ten, literally since I was age ten. I have enormous respect for all the people of Maine.”
The Caribou reference came amid a broader debate marked by pointed exchanges over billionaire donors and party loyalty. Early in the night, Collins questioned whether Jackson had kept campaign promises to reject billionaire donors, citing FEC contribution records she said conflicted with those assurances.
“And as far as the billionaires that I might have on my campaign, that is accurate,” Jackson said, pausing as the crowd reacted audibly. “But I haven’t… I haven’t made any deals like Senator Collins has with those billionaires. I’m going to tax those billionaires when I get to the U.S. Senate.” Jackson did not specify what agreements he was referring to.
Collins also faced questions about her independence from President Donald Trump. Asked by the moderator to name an instance where she defied the president and changed an outcome, Collins pointed to her opposition to the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth. As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would have been defeated for that job,” Collins said.
Jackson noted that Hegseth was ultimately confirmed regardless. “Senator Collins likes to have it both ways. I mean, the reality is that 100% of the time when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there. That has happened time and time again,” he said.
Jackson pointed to his own clashes with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills during his time in the state Senate as evidence of his independence. “How can I be a rubber stamp with my very own governor — a Democratic governor — vetoing 40 of my bills?” he asked.
Jackson has repeatedly challenged Collins’ voting record in prior debates, and Collins pushed back again Thursday on his characterization of how often she sides with Trump. “You have heard Troy say that I vote with the president 92 or 94% of the time; that takes only a third of the votes. If you look at 90% of the votes, you will find that I vote with him 72% of the time, not 95% of the time,” she said.
The debate comes as Collins and Jackson head into the final stretch before Maine’s Nov. 3 general election, a race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
