Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson clashed over billionaire donors, party loyalty and working-class voters Thursday night as their fourth debate took a notably personal turn.
In the debate’s top moments, Jackson needled Collins over whether she had meaningfully pushed back on Republican-led decisions she disagreed with. Collins defended her record and questioned whether Jackson would stand up to his own party when pursuing the best interests of Maine.
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Near the beginning of the night, Collins questioned whether Jackson had really kept campaign promises to reject billionaire donors that aligned themselves closely with his and other Democratic campaigns, noting FEC contribution records that seemed to clash with those assurances.
“And as far as the billionaires that I might have on my campaign, that is accurate,” Jackson admitted. “But I haven’t⦠“
Jackson paused for a moment as members of the crowd gave an audible reaction to the admission.
“I havent made any deals like Senator Collins has with those billionaires,” he continued. “Im going to tax those billionaires when I get to the U.S. Senate.”
Jackson did not specify what agreements he was referring to.
Collins also faced questions about her independence from President Donald Trump. At one point, the moderator asked her to identify an instance when she had defied the president and changed the outcome of a decision.
Collins cited her opposition to the confirmation of , who faced scrutiny during his nomination over his qualifications and allegations about his personal conduct.
“At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth. As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise, he would have been defeated for that job,” Collins said.
Jackson countered that Hegseth was ultimately confirmed despite Collins’ opposition.
“Senator Collins likes to have it both ways. I mean, the reality is that 100% of the time when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there. That has happened time and time again,” Jackson said.
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Jackson defended his own independence by pointing to clashes with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills during his tenure in the state Senate .
“How can I be a rubber stamp with my very own governor â a Democratic governor â vetoing 40 of my bills?” Jackson asked.
Jackson had repeatedly challenged Collins over her voting record in their three prior debates . Collins disputed his characterization of her record, arguing that he had overstated how frequently she sided with Trump.
“You have heard Troy say that I vote with the president 92 or 94% of the time; that takes only a third of the votes. If you look at 90% of the vo
