Collins and Jackson Clash in First Maine Senate Debate

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson blamed each other for Maine’s affordability problems during their first debate Tuesday, while clashing over Collins’s relationship with President Donald Trump, her record and allegations of corruption. The hourlong debate opened a series of four planned encounters between the candidates, who are competing for a seat that could affect control of the U.S. Senate. Collins argued that she has demonstrated independence from Trump, saying she had voted against her party more than any other senator and citing disagreements with the president. When asked whether she would campaign alongside him if he came to Maine, she said she was not exactly his favorite senator and did not expect him to visit. Jackson countered that Collins had not stood up to Trump, citing her record of votes with him. The candidates offered competing characterizations of that record, and the debate accounts did not establish a shared method for calculating them. The two also disputed responsibility for rising costs.