Sen. Susan Collins and Troy Jackson, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, clashed in the third of four scheduled debates on Tuesday night. At the forum, hosted by WABI, Collins attempted to distance herself from President Donald Trump and the Republican Party as much as possible.
Topics ranged from the price of heating fuel this winter, to the candidates stance on data centers to campaign finance. And, though the third debate retread some familiar territory for those who tuned in to the first two, Collins doubled down on claiming an oppositional stance against her party.
At times, Collin went out of her way to say that she agreed with her opponent, especially on topics that have been sinking Republican’s chances in the midterms, like Trump's tariff regime.
“It wasn't the Canadians that started this problem, it was the Trump administration,” Collins said.
She also attempted to align herself against the administration on the Iran war, a topic that loomed over the debate.
“I agree that the president did not have a good plan. He should’ve anticipated the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which part of the world’s oil travels and I don’t feel that that was well anticipated,” Collins said.
In another exchange, however, Collins insisted that she believes that Iran does pose a threat to the United States, saying that her “ideal end of this war would be in agreement by Iran that it would stop pursuing the enrichment of uranium for a nuclear weapon and the pursuit of long range ballistic missiles.” Jackson, responding to her position, pointed out that the U.S. and Iran had such an agreement prior to Trump’s first term in office.
Collins and Jackson also disagreed over what to do about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that has grown massively during Trump’s second term and which has attracted criticism due to multiple deadly shootings by officers, including of Johan Sebastián Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.
During their exchange over immigration enforcement, Jackson reasserted his position in favor of abolishing ICE and transferring immigration enforcement responsibilities to another agency. Collins, however, boasted about how she was able to use her position in the Senate to require ICE officers to wear body cameras. Still months after the Biddeford killing, however, actual implementation of this policy is lacking. Footage from these cameras will also remain under the control of the government, limiting its use in holding officers accountable.
The debate comes as both Collins and Jackson jockey for position in the final weeks of a race that has been closer for Democrats than most in the party would have expected. While Jackson has led in the most recent polls conducted in the race, Real Clear Politics’ average still only has him with a 1.2 point lead.
Collins has also outperformed the polls in the past. She held onto the seat in Maine with 51% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Sara Gideon by roughly 9 points when she was last on the ballot in 2020. This was after nearly every poll in the race found Gideon with a lead, including some finding her with upwards of a 5 point lead. Former President Joe Biden, for reference, won the state by 9 points, with 53% support.