In Final Debate, Collins Fails To Name A Time She Made a Difference For Mainers

NEWS CENTER Maine: “When asked point blank to name a vote against her party that changed the outcome, Collins failed to name one.”

Bangor Daily News: “Collins doesn’t regret confirming RFK Jr.”

Huffpost: “Susan Collins Makes A Telling Blunder On Her Record Of Breaking With Trump”

BANGOR, ME — Fifth-generation Mainer, logger, and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Troy Jackson won the final of four debates last night, forcing Senator Collins to answer for her record of siding with Trump, even when it cuts health care and drives up costs for Mainers. The debate fell on the first day of Medicare Open Enrollment and Jackson made a point to hold Susan Collins accountable for her vote to advance Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill that cut $1 trillion in Medicaid funding.

Standing in front of an unscreened audience for the first time this cycle, Senator Collins was forced to answer to her constituents on leaving Mainers behind while she and her billionaire cronies get richer and richer. See what folks are saying about the debate below.

What Mainers are seeing about Jackson’s victory in the final debate:

News Center Maine: Sen. Susan Collins and Troy Jackson debate for the fourth and final time, pitching one last message to voters

Democrats and critics of Collins often accuse her of only breaking with her party when she knows it to be inconsequential to the end result. [...] When asked point blank to name a vote against her party that changed the outcome, Collins failed to name one.
Criticized as a rubber stamp herself, Collins was asked if she regretted any of her cabinet appointment votes for the second Trump administration. The senator walked around the question, saying she disagrees with some policies of both DHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, but ultimately does not regret approving Kennedy.

Maine Morning Star: In final debate, Collins and Jackson share different outlooks on future of democracy

Collins called the U.S. “the greatest nation on earth,” before saying presidents from both parties have tried to expand their power historically. “I think that Congress does need to keep reasserting itself,” she said. “But I think our democracy will be just fine.”
Jackson responded that it would not be fine if the administration takes away people’s voting rights. Trump has attempted to restrict voting by mail, purge voter rolls and send sensitive personal information to the Department of Homeland Security, among other efforts.
The Democrat pinned the future of democracy on his party taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to be able to hold Trump accountable. “The Republicans have totally given up their willingness to do that,” he said.

Bangor Daily News: Collins says she opposes dark money. It’s helping her campaign.

“I don’t think there should be dark money groups,” Collins said.
Groups that don’t disclose their donors have been among the biggest funders of the effort to reelect her. One Nation, which doesn’t reveal its donors, supplied about 28% of the money raised through June by the Senate Leadership Fund, the biggest advertiser against Jackson.

Bangor Daily News: Collins doesn’t regret confirming RFK Jr.

Asked whether she regrets voting to confirm Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., [...] she said she agrees with his focus on chronic diseases and ultra-processed foods.
Pressed for a yes or no, she said it wasn’t a regret [...].

Maine Public: Key takeaways from the final, fiery debate between Susan Collins and Troy Jackson

"They will not stop Donald Trump and I do think our democracy is risk," Jackson said before accusing Trump of trying to suppress the vote in November. "Donald Trump is trying every trick in the book to keep power. And we've already seen what he will do on Jan. 6 when he led an insurrection."
And he repeated one of his favorite statistics — that Collins allegedly votes with Trump 96% of the time. "The reality is that 100% of the time, when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there," Jackson said. "The votes that she throws away are managed votes that she already knows the outcome."

Huffpost: Susan Collins Makes A Telling Blunder On Her Record Of Breaking With Trump

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday fumbled a response to a question about her record of breaking with the Republican Party and President Donald Trump.
“Can you name a time when you voted against your party and President Trump where it actually changed the outcome significantly?,” Phil Hirschkorn, a moderator for Thursday’s Maine Senate debate, asked.
“At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth,” Collins said. “So, that didn’t change the outcome,” Hirschkorn said. “Well but…it would have had that person stayed there,” Collins responded.

NBC News: Sen. Susan Collins defends vote to confirm HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, tonight stood by her vote to help confirm Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to his post, though she said she disagrees with his stance on vaccines.
Pushed again about whether she specifically regrets her vote [to confirm RFK], Collins said: "No. As I said, I agree with him on some issues. I don't with others."

Hill: Collins, Jackson trade jabs in final Maine Senate debate: 3 takeaways

When asked to name a time where she voted against Trump and significantly changed the outcome, Collins pointed to her efforts to block Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. [...] She was quickly called out for not changing the outcome of a vote, with Hegseth still leading the Pentagon.
Jackson pounced on the moment and accused Collins of only breaking with Trump and the GOP when her vote is not needed. “The reality is that 100 percent of the time, when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there,” Jackson said.

MS NOW: Pressed on her work with Trump, Maine’s Collins trips over key part of her record

In other words, the longtime GOP senator has demonstrated a willingness to break ranks, except when her vote might actually affect the outcome. Or, as the Times’ report put it, “one of the most dominant and long-running lines of attack against her” is that Collins “only defies the president when it doesn’t matter.”
Remember, Collins has faced one specific criticism throughout her re-election bid, and it was highlighted by The New York Times in a front-page article published this week. The senator and her team had plenty of time to come up with examples (any example!) to prove her critics wrong. But she couldn’t. Then, presented with the opportunity and platform, Collins flubbed it, effectively proving the underlying point.

News Center Maine: Collins & Jackson Debate for Final Time

Christian Harsa: Republican Senator Susan Collins, who prides herself on being a moderate, did not have an example of when she broke from her party and an outcome changed.
Susan Collins: At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth
Christian Harsa: Until one republican voted for him
Moderator: So that didn’t change the outcome?
Susan Collins: Well but it would have had that person stayed there. [...]
Moderator: Do you want to say yes or no quickly on RFK? Is that a regret?
Susan Collins: No.

Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund [@PPMEAF]: Troy Jackson’s leadership in the legislature is the reason Maine has strong laws protecting access to abortion and related care. We can trust him with our rights as our next US Senator. #MEPolitics

Mike Nellis, Endless Urgency [@MikeNellis]: A voter at tonight’s debate asked Susan Collins if she thinks our democracy is under attack. Her answer: “I think our democracy will be just fine.” Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act before the midterms, and Susan Collins thinks we’re fine. Maine deserves better.