Takeaways: Trump and abortion rights take center stage in first Maine Senate debate

By Patrick Svitek, CNN

(CNN) — GOP Sen. Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, sparred over President Donald Trump and abortion rights in their first debate Tuesday night in Maine’s all-important Senate race with control of the chamber at stake.

Appearing in Portland, the state’s largest city, the two had a spirited — but civil — debate that displayed two very different strategies. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, touted her “effective leadership” securing federal funds for Maine, while Jackson sought to nationalize the race with persistent criticism of her relationship with Trump and 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later voted to overturn the federal right to an abortion.

“Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?” Jackson asked, days after Justice Samuel Alito told CBS News he’s “thought about” retiring.

Collins repeatedly pitched herself as unusually independent among lawmakers and cast doubt on the notion that Trump would want to visit Maine to stump for her.

“I’m not exactly his favorite senator,” she said.

It was the first of four debates the two candidates are scheduled to do over 10 days.

Collins is a top Democratic target in the midterms, seeking reelection in a state that Trump lost three times. Democrats picked Jackson, the former president of the Maine Senate, to replace Graham Platner as their nominee in July after Platner dropped out over a rape allegation, which he denies.

The race took another turn in recent days after the publication of a ProPublica story alleging a pay-to-play scheme involving Collins’ office. She said at the debate that the allegations were “completely false” and “very offensive.” Jackson said it showed how “politicians are bought and paid for.”

Jackson blames Trump, Collins blames state Dems

Jackson repeatedly sought to make Trump a liability for Collins, while Collins worked to tie him to the Democratic-led legislature in Augusta. He served in the Maine House – and then Senate – from 2002-2024, and Collins took several opportunities to remind viewers of his long tenure.

Jackson accused Collins multiple times of voting “96% of the time” with Trump and of not doing enough to push back against his tariffs, immigration policies and the war in Iran. Collins detailed how she split with Trump on those issues, like getting tariff exemptions for certain products important to Maine, but Jackson scoffed at her answers.

“Sen. Collins is like an arsonist who set the fire and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Jackson said.

At one point, Collins took issue with the methodology of the study that she said Jackson had been citing for the 96% figure. He brushed it off, saying, “Whatever, it’s far too often.”

Collins was far more interested in talking about Augusta than Trump. She argued, for example, that Democratic state lawmakers were responsible for Maine having the “fourth highest electricity rates in the country.”

“If you look at the policies that have driven up the cost of living in Maine, you have to look at Augusta,” Collins said. “Augusta’s failed policies under the failed leadership of Troy Jackson.”

Focus on abortion rights

Jackson and his allies made little secret of his strategy going into the debate: Ramp up pressure on Collins, who has long billed herself as supportive of abortion rights, to answer for her Kavanaugh vote. This week is the eight-year anniversary of the vote.

Jackson brought it up within seconds of his opening statement and later seized on the topic when given the chance to pose a question to Collins.

“What will it take for you to admit that you were wrong [on Kavanaugh]?” Jackson asked.

Collins gave a defense of her vote that has become well-rehearsed throughout the race. She said she “clearly” disagreed with his vote to overturn Roe v. Wade but said it would have been “inappropriate” to ask him during the confirmation process how he would vote on a particular issue. She did concede, however, that she did not like that he called Roe v. Wade settled law – because, she said, “to me, that meant that it would not be overturned.”

Notably, Collins sought to flip the issue on Jackson, bringing up a series of anti-abortion positions he took early in his political career that he has since disavowed.

“There’s only one of us on this stage who has aways been pro-choice, and that’s me,” Collins said.

Jackson did not take the bait.

“She doesn’t regret the vote” for Kavanaugh, he said, calling it “incredible that she will not admit to being wrong.”

Getting to know Jackson

While Susan Collins has been in the Senate since 1997, Jackson is newer to the national scene, and some Democrats are still getting to know him. Even his supporters acknowledge he is not as strong of a speaker – or personality – as Platner, though they share similar working-class progressive politics.

The often casually clad Jackson wore a suit to the debate, and while he appeared to go after Collins more than she targeted him, he kept his attacks tightly focused on issues around Trump and abortion and did not come across as overzealous. The debate ended on a lighthearted note as the two joked about their favorite football teams.

Jackson is one of the most progressive Democratic nominees in a battleground Senate race this cycle, and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is set to visit Maine this weekend to hold three rallies for him. Like Sanders, Jackson is a proponent of the universal health care program Medicare for All.

Asked about his support for Medicare for All and his thoughts on democratic socialists – the label that Sanders uses — Jackson chose to respond to the former part of the question and not the latter.

“I support Medicare for All so that people I know across the state have health care,” Jackson said, adding that “Republicans, Democrats, independents all across the state” are backing his campaign.

Collins criticized Medicare for All, saying Jackson wants “Big Government to take over the entire health care service.”

They also split sharply during a lightning round of questions where they were asked if voters should show identification to cast a ballot.

“No,” Jackson said. “As a working logger, many times I went to the polls without my ID.”

Collins was just as explicit in the other direction.

“Yes,” she said, “Only Americans should vote in American elections.”

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