Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and Troy Jackson, the Democratic former president of the State Senate challenging her in the midterm elections, faced off on Tuesday night in their first of four debates, exchanging barbs over President Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, abortion rights and health care.
Collins was on the defensive over Trump, at times seeming to have two opponents on stage. She criticized Trump's tariffs, called for more oversight of his immigration enforcement and boasted, "I am not exactly his favorite senator." She sidestepped whether she would stand with Trump if he visited Maine.
Jackson targeted Collins over her vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, asking, "Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?" Collins, one of just two Republican senators supporting abortion rights, stressed she disagreed with Kavanaugh on Roe but did not regret the confirmation vote. She noted only one person on stage has always been pro-choice.
On immigration, Jackson criticized Collins for not pushing back against ICE following the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by an ICE agent in Maine. Collins called the shooting "horrific," supported serious ICE reforms and questioned whether Jackson wanted to abolish an agency deporting violent criminals. The pair also clashed over Senate seniority and its benefits for Maine.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing