BANGOR, Maine — The fourth and final debate of the Maine Senate race knocked both candidates off balance as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, met for the first time before a live audience.
The first three debates, held in television studios, were subdued affairs and lacked the fireworks and off-script remarks that defined Thursday night’s event in Bangor.
Jackson at one point told Collins to “shut up” over a protester she said was one of his supporters. Collins, for her part, struggled to name a time when her vote blocked a GOP priority. Both moments were quickly clipped online as fodder for the other side and set the tone for the rest of the debate.
Here are four takeaways from Gracie Theatre, where Collins and Jackson got one last chance to scrutinize each other before the Nov. 3 election.
Jackson tells Collins to ‘shut up’ over protester remark
The most contentious moment of the night came when a protester briefly interrupted the debate to shout at Collins, politely telling her that he was “so sorry to interrupt” but that he is “terrified” about data centers he said were “destroying” the climate.
As the protester was escorted from the room, Collins quipped, “This is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.”
“Oh, shut up,” Jackson replied. “I did not — I don’t even know that kid.”
The protester, a younger man with a badge that said “press,” began to shout more loudly about Collins accepting corporate PAC money as he was removed from the theater.
Collins cites Hegseth when asked for outcome-changing vote
Earlier in the debate, Collins was asked to name a time when she stopped a GOP policy from going through with her vote.
Collins, known for her independent streak in the Senate, said there were a “few examples” before detailing her vote against Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed as war secretary despite her opposition to his nomination.
“At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth,” Collins said. “As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would’ve been defeated for that job.”
The example was mocked by Democrats as proving Jackson’s argument that Collins only votes against Republicans when it does not affect the outcome.
Collins went on to cite an analysis by the Bangor Daily News finding that her vote proved decisive in 56 instances that benefited Democrats.
“I voted against my own party more often than any other senator on either side of the aisle,” Collins said, before taking a jab at Jackson. “That is not something that Troy could ever say. He’s going to be an automatic vote for the Democrat position, no matter what.”
On the Hegseth vote, Collins appears to be referring to retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a Republican who revealed in a new book that he regretted voting to confirm Hegseth at the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Collins was one of three Senate Republicans to vote “no,” alongside Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), but Democrats needed a fourth for Hegseth’s nomination to be blocked.
Collins stands by RFK Jr. confirmation
At another point, Collins was asked to address her support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary and whether she would vote the same way today.
“I agree with him on some issues, disagree with him on others,” Collins said, telling the moderators that she rejects his vaccine skepticism but supports his focus on chronic disease and healthy eating.
Collins said “no” when pressed if she regretted the confirmation vote, adding that Kennedy was “very helpful” in expediting a lower-income home heating program in Maine.
In the same answer, Collins also discussed her support for Russ Vought’s confirmation as Trump’s budget chief. He and Collins have since butted heads repeatedly, most recently over the administration’s last-minute attempt to cancel funding appropriated by Congress.
“It is true that we fight on a lot of different issues, and I’m pleased to say that I often prevail, such as his proposed cuts on medical research,” Collins said.
Collins is chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Collins and Jackson become the moderators
The moderators covered many of the same topics as prior debates, asking about the war in Iran, immigration enforcement, and the cost of housing. But two of the questions were unique and came directly from the candidates themselves.
Collins, given a chance to ask Jackson a direct question, pressed him on the delay in submitting his financial disclosure reports, suggesting to the audience that he hasn’t been “transparent” and is benefiting from ads paid for by billionaires.
Jackson responded that he would raise taxes on the wealthy, but elicited a gasp when he said Collins was correct about the donor support.
“As far as the billionaires I might have on my campaign, that is accurate,” Jackson said.
“I’m going to tax those billionaires when I get the U.S. Senate, so if they want to give me money during this campaign, I guess that’s up to them,” he added. “But they know that I don’t owe them a thing like Sen. Collins.”
Jackson accused Collins of condescension for his question. He has vented frustration at the times she’s corrected his answers on the debate stage and has tried to portray her as out of touch.
“Is it just me that you look down on or is it working-class people overall?” he said.
DEMOCRATS GIVE BRIAN FITZPATRICK A RUN FOR HIS MONEY IN PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BATTLEGROUND
“Troy, I don’t look down on you or anyone,” Collins replied, stating that she had worked from the time she was 10 years old.
The audience was quiet for most of the hourlong event, with only a couple of eruptions. Outside Gracie Theatre, the site of the debate in Bangor, supporters of both Collins and Jackson gathered beforehand with signs and banners. One anti-Collins banner said “Let Them Eat Road Salt,” a reference to Jackson’s viral comment on tariffs.