There is a particular rhythm to a debate in a close race—a rhythm of claim and counterclaim, of numbers offered and numbers disputed, of reputations defended and records scrutinized. In Maine this week, Senator Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, met for the first of four debates, and the hour that followed offered a portrait of a contest in which both candidates believe the other's record is the central question .
The debate, hosted by WMTW-TV, touched on abortion, tariffs, the Iran war, electric rates, and how consistently Collins has aligned with President Trump . At times it grew testy; Collins called a ProPublica report about her dealings with a defense contractor "absolutely false," and Jackson accused her of profiting from the Iran war, an allegation she called "outrageous" .
On abortion, Jackson said Collins "put people like Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court that took away Roe v. Wade" . PolitiFact rated this claim misleading—Collins also voted for justices who upheld Roe, including Kagan and Sotomayor, and even without her vote, Vice President Pence was prepared to break a tie in Kavanaugh's favor . Collins countered that Jackson, from 2000 until he ran for the House in 2013-2014, was "very anti-choice." PolitiFact rated this accurate; Jackson received perfect scores from Maine Right to Life in 2003 and 2010 .
On electric rates, Collins said that "under Troy's leadership" Maine's rates became the fourth highest in the nation . PolitiFact rated this exaggerated—Maine ranked eighth nationally both when Jackson became Senate president in 2018 and when he left in 2024, though prices did surge 46 percent during that period .
The Iran war votes drew competing claims. Jackson said Collins voted "five times" against ending the war. Collins said she voted "nine times to end" it. According to the Bangor Daily News, both numbers are right—she voted against five failed resolutions but voted with Democrats in support of ending the war as the War Powers Act deadline hit in April and continued backing such resolutions through September
On ICE funding, Jackson suggested Collins did not regret approving $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Collins said the figure was about half that amount over four years. The Bangor Daily News found Collins was right about the figures—the law allocated about $38 billion to ICE through 2029—though Jackson argued that whatever amount went to ICE, it was too much .
One moment of unity arrived when Collins agreed with Jackson that higher earners should pay more Social Security taxes, despite a pro-Collins PAC having aired ads saying that position meant Jackson supports raising taxes on Social Security .
The race is crucial to Democrats' hopes of gaining control of the Senate, and polls show a tight contest . Three more debates are scheduled before November 3.
AI Image Disclaimer: The visual elements accompanying this report were created using AI generation tools and are illustrative in nature.
Sources: PolitiFact, Bangor Daily News, Anchorage Daily News
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