PRESS RELEASE
JACKSON WINS THIRD DEBATE SHOWING HE’LL STAND UP FOR MAINERS WHILE COLLINS SOLD THEM OUT
While Collins stood on stage making excuses for her and Trump’s failed policies, Jackson demanded accountability and promised change
BANGOR, ME — Tonight, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson won the third Maine Senate debate, driving a clear contrast between himself and Susan Collins. The debate, held on the three month anniversary of the fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford, put Susan Collins’ record writing blank checks to ICE and voting with Trump 96% of the time front and center while Jackson shared his commitment to abolishing ICE and protecting Mainers’ rights and freedoms.
Jackson clearly showed what Susan Collins has meant for Maine: an inhumane immigration agency that runs on masked raids and fear, higher costs because of tariffs, a war with Iran driving up energy prices, and a Senate appropriations committee that has handed all of its power directly to Donald Trump.
Jackson raised the question of how Mainers can trust her to protect their rights and freedoms and deliver for them when she always bends a knee to Donald Trump. The answer is that they can’t.
Major moments of the night came as Susan Collins made excuse after excuse for policies she has backed, and as Jackson made sure she didn’t escape accountability.
“Tonight, on the three month anniversary of the murder of Johan Sebastián Guerrero, Troy Jackson stood on the debate stage and held Susan Collins accountable for the pain and terror she has caused Mainers by funding ICE and defending her vote in the wake of this tragedy,” said campaign manager Hilary Barrett. “Troy won the debate again tonight by making it clear that Mainers cannot trust Susan Collins to take on Trump when he threatens their rights and freedoms. Meanwhile, Susan Collins stood on the stage and just made excuses.”
TOP FIVE MOMENTS FROM TONIGHT’S DEBATE:
1) After Susan Collins defends the $70 billion she handed over to ICE with no oversight or guardrails, Jackson honors Johan Sebastián Guerrero and calls to abolish ICE
Jackson: “Well, the man's name was Johan Sebastián Guerrero. That was his name. He had a family, he had a daughter, and he's not coming home anymore to that family because ICE — and you just heard Senator Collins — they weren't vetted, they didn't have the training. So I don't know how you could stand up here and argue that it's a good thing to let them out onto our population, out onto the American public, when we've seen consistently that they will murder people [...]. That is why I believe that this agency is just a rogue agency that's doing Donald Trump's bidding.”
2) When Collins complains she didn’t have the votes to end the war in Iran, Jackson fires back saying it's another reason voters should elect Democrats to the Senate
Jackson: “Senator Collins says that she voted against [the Iran war] nine times, but she didn't have the votes. Well, that sounds like then we probably ought to have Democrats in charge of the U.S. Senate so that we have the votes to stop this war, to hold Donald Trump in check because it sounds like the Republicans won't do that. [...] Senator Collins would like to school us on how this all works. Well I know very well how appropriations works, and if she wants to stop the funding for it, she has the ability to stop the funding for it. But she's not willing to because she will not stand up against Donald Trump.”
3) On tariffs, Jackson holds Collins accountable for handing over Congress’ authority on tariffs to Donald Trump
Jackson: “I’m not going to give Sen. Collins credit for getting some things off the list when we never should have had a list. [...] This is just one man's foolishness that we're dealing with in this state, and it's costing so many more people money than it should have. Blanket tariffs are never going to be something I'll ever support. I still believe that Congress should have stopped Donald Trump from doing this. I still think they can, but they're not willing to because they're with him. That's what they want to do. [Susan Collins] votes with him 96% of the time, and I can't give credit for a couple things coming off the list. [...] Congress should be doing these things. They should be having hearings, deciding whenever they're going to put a tariff on, but not letting one man dictate to the world what he wants and when he wants it.”
4) While Collins made excuses and tried to distance herself from Republicans, Jackson reminded her that she’s Republicans’ and billionaires’ “team player”
Jackson: “Her own [party] members called her a team player on this issue, because she knew that once she got it out on the floor, it was going to get passed. And all the people that support her, all — I think is, what is it, 90 billionaires now that are donating to you — got another tax at $1 trillion coming out of our health care system. That is the reality, and Senator Collins could have done more to stop that. And I'm not going to give her credit for $190 million when we're losing $3 to $5 billion in the state. That's the reality.”
5) Jackson commits to prioritizing funding on health care, heating oil, prescription drugs – not a war in Iran that’s only making life more expensive
Jackson: “The biggest problem that we have right now is Senator Collins' insistence on supporting the Iran war because Donald Trump wanted it. Right now, we're paying 80% more this year than we were last year for heating oil — that's a fact. And what we have to do is prioritize where we're willing to spend our money. I don't want to spend it in Iran. I want to spend it here in the United States, making sure that people have health care, lower cost prescriptions, heating oil, and things like that.”
One for the road… Jackson slams Collins for dismissing the closures of rural hospitals and birthing centers that are closing as a result of her vote for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.
Jackson: “Senator Collins is not going to stand there and school me on what I know and what I've been at. I've been at all four of the birthing centers when they closed. I stood there and tried to help the community actually get them back. [...] So don't act like I don't know what I'm talking about because I do.”
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