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To put the focus on the topics and concerns that matter most to you, the BDN opinion section asked subscribers for their questions for the candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. In coming days, we’ll share their answers. Today, we have the answers from Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. Senate, and her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, former president of the Maine Senate.
What measures would you vote for to ensure that all Mainers have access to affordable healthcare? Should all Americans have access to the same coverage, at the same cost, as members of Congress? Do you support Medicare-for-all or another form of universal health care? If so, how would you pay for it? If not, why not.
Susan Collins
Increasing health care access and affordability remains a top priority. I worked to lower prescription drug costs, expand rural health care, advance diabetes and Alzheimer’s research and treatment, and strengthen the health care workforce. I voted against President Donald Trump’s Medicaid cuts, and instead pushed to create the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, which has brought $190 million to Maine. I’ve secured nearly $300 million in funds directly for Maine hospitals, health and dental clinics, recovery centers, emergency services, and health care workforce training programs across Maine since 2021. I supported bipartisan bills to promote lower-cost generics, end surprise billing, and outlaw pharmacy “gag clauses” that prevented patients from paying the lowest price for medicine. I’m leading bipartisan legislation to cap the out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35 per month.
Members of Congress obtain their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. I support this requirement.
We should expand access to high-quality and affordable health care, not create government-run monopolies. A government-run plan would cost a staggering $30 trillion, require massive tax increases on middle- and low-income Americans, force 165 million Americans off their current insurance, threaten access to health care in rural America, and leave us without the funds we need to protect Social Security. Government-run plans in other countries have led to long wait times for care, excess deaths, and a two-tiered system that favors the rich. We don’t need that in America.
Troy Jackson
Health care is a human right. No Mainer should avoid the doctor, ration their medicine, or face bankruptcy because they got sick. I support Medicare for All because it would guarantee every American comprehensive care without premiums, deductibles, or massive medical debt — and finally stop insurance companies from profiting by denying people the care they need. Sen. Susan Collins has spent years siding with drug companies, insurance companies, and Donald Trump’s efforts to gut Mainers’ health care; I’ll always stand with Maine families.
And while the federal government says there’s no money for health care or Social Security, it’s spending billions of dollars funding endless wars abroad and giving a $70 billion blank check to ICE while giving tax cuts for the wealthy. We have the money — we’re just spending it the wrong way.
What specific steps do you support to preserve the financial stability of Social Security? Would you support raising the payroll tax on higher incomes? Raising the full retirement age? Reducing benefits, particularly to those with high incomes? Should government spending be reduced in other areas?
Jackson
People who work hard their entire lives should be able to retire with dignity. They should be able to afford food, medicine, and a roof over their heads without wondering whether the benefits they spent decades earning will be there. Social Security is a promise. I intend to keep it.
While Susan Collins has repeatedly voted to weaken Social Security, I have always been clear about where I stand: In the Senate, I’ll work to scrap the cap and require millionaires to pay Social Security taxes on their income, allow Medicare to negotiate the price of every drug, eliminate profiteering and waste, and expand benefits — not raise the retirement age. Elon Musk and the other billionaires spending millions to support Collins can afford to pay more to make sure that Social Security keeps its promises to seniors.
Collins
Social Security is one of the most effective lifesaving programs in our nation’s history. It
provides a vital safety net so Americans can live with dignity after a lifetime of work. In any discussions on reform, I will be guided by the principle that all Americans who have earned Social Security benefits should receive the full benefits they are owed; we should not solve Social Security’s financial problems by denying people benefits they have earned.
That is exactly why I authored the Social Security Fairness Act. Since it became law, benefits have increased for 2.8 million Americans — many of whom are retired public servants like teachers, firefighters, and police officers. This bill restored earned benefits for more than 25,000 Mainers and provided nearly $185 million in retroactive payments last year.
One idea worth considering is to extend Social Security taxes on the very wealthy. I believe these wealthier Americans can contribute more as part of a responsible solution. At the same time, we must ensure that taxes intended for the wealthy be carefully designed to avoid unintentionally harming our nation’s small businesses. I oppose raising the retirement age.
I believe a lasting Social Security solution must be bipartisan. I support an independent
commission of experts and lawmakers appointed by House and Senate leaders from both parties that could work in a truly nonpartisan manner to develop thoughtful and actionable recommendations for Congress. A similar bipartisan commission helped reform Social Security in the early 1980s, strengthening it for decades.
Do you believe that climate change is real and made worse by burning fossil fuels? If not, why not? If so, what specific actions would you support to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure the U.S. reengages with international partners to address climate change? How would you support the transition to cleaner energy sources? How would you stand up to the president to move a climate-focused agenda forward?
Collins
I have long been a supporter of taking action to address climate change and continue to advocate for commonsense policies to reduce harmful pollution. Climate change is a significant environmental challenge that requires global solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From tourism and recreation to working forests, fishing, and agriculture, Maine’s economy is inextricably linked to the environment.
As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have worked to secure key funding priorities for clean energy at the Department of Energy and other agencies. I also partnered with my Senate colleagues to co-author bipartisan solutions such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act. These laws made substantial investments in clean energy generation and energy storage technologies, which hold great promise in the fight against climate change and will help shape our clean energy future.
I have also not hesitated to oppose the administration when it has made decisions that I disagreed with. For example, I joined my Senate colleagues in November 2025 in voting in favor of a resolution to overturn an EPA rule that delayed requirements for oil and natural gas facilities to install pollution-control equipment. I also support climate diplomacy and would encourage the State Department to continue its engagement on this important issue. For international climate efforts to advance, it is essential that the United States keep a seat at the table.
Jackson
It’s up to all of us to ensure that Maine’s natural resources and natural spaces are here for our kids and our grandkids to enjoy. In the state Senate, I fought to invest in clean energy and grow Maine’s clean energy economy. I know that protecting our environment and protecting working people have always gone hand in hand. Our forests, waters, and working lands aren’t just part of who we are — they support thousands of jobs and communities across our state. I’ve spent my life working in the Maine woods, and I know we don’t have to choose between protecting the places we love and creating good-paying jobs.
I’ll bring that same approach to the U.S. Senate where I’ll fight for investments in clean energy that lower costs, create union jobs here at home, and preserve Maine’s natural resources for generations to come.
How will you make sure our laws, including the Constitution, are enforced equally for everyone, including members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the president? What laws should be enforced or changed to hold the president accountable and to ensure the survival of our democracy? Is this a top priority for you? What steps will you take to protect mail-in voting?
Jackson
Right now, we’re watching our government be sold to the highest bidder. Susan Collins and Donald Trump rake in campaign contributions, then do the bidding of billionaires. We need a government that works for everyday working people where the rule of law is equally enforced for everyone and applied to everyone — and that includes the president and ICE agents.
I will support strong enforcement of our anti-corruption and civil rights laws and congressional oversight that holds the president accountable. Congress is supposed to be a check on the president, not a rubber stamp. But Susan Collins has voted with Trump 96% of the time. She has repeatedly failed to hold this administration accountable and instead helped to advance Trump’s policies that gut health care and Trump’s nominees who have ripped away reproductive rights. I’ll fight to restore congressional oversight and make sure no president can put themselves above the law. Mainers deserve a government that works for them and answers to them — not the highest bidder, corporation, or lobbyist. I’m running for U.S. Senate to put power back in the hands of the people.
It is a high priority of mine to ensure that we have a president who is held to real ethics standards. For now, our best method of accountability is the ballot box, and I am dedicated to protecting our right to vote by mail. I will oppose any effort to make voting harder for eligible Americans, and I will fight to get our election officials the resources they need to administer our elections securely.
Collins
No one is above the law, including the president and members of federal law enforcement. I support measures to ensure accountability for immigration enforcement officers in the performance of their work and interactions with the American people. For example, I helped secure $20 million for body-worn cameras for ICE officers, and worked with the Department of Homeland Security secretary to ensure these body-worn cameras were deployed quickly and officers were trained in their use. I support further accountability measures, including requiring ICE officers to wear and display numerical and agency identifiers and prohibiting officers from wearing masks with reasonable exceptions.
The Constitution is the foundation of our American democracy, and nothing is more essential to the survival of democracy than an orderly transfer of power. Following the dangerous and shameful attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, I led a group of my colleagues to write and pass the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act to remedy the deep structural problems with our system of certifying and counting the electoral votes for president and vice president. I voted to convict President Donald Trump for his actions leading up to the attack on Jan. 6, and I supported an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the events of that day.
I strongly support mail-in voting. Mail-in and absentee voting is especially critical for Maine’s rural communities. I have opposed legislative efforts that would restrict mail-in and absentee voting, and would continue to oppose such efforts if re-elected.
What are your top 3 accomplishments as a lawmaker?
Collins
Paycheck Protection Act. When the COVID-19 crisis struck our nation, I worked across party lines to create the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP became a critical lifeline, providing forgivable loans to help employers stay afloat and keep their workers on the payroll. In Maine, our small businesses received more than 47,000 forgivable loans totaling $3.2 billion, supporting hundreds of thousands of Maine jobs.
Expanding Social Security benefits. I led the effort to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, restoring full Social Security benefits for millions of public servants, including teachers, school custodians, police officers, and firefighters. For some retirees, the law will more than triple the Social Security benefits they had been receiving. These workers earned these benefits through decades of service, and I was proud to help correct an unfairness that had reduced their retirement income.
Delivering results for Maine. As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have authored appropriations bills that have brought nearly $1.5 billion to Maine for 672 projects in all 16 counties. These investments are addressing critical needs in communities across the state, including funding for 45 fire stations, roads and bridges, child care centers, and workforce training programs at community colleges and the University of Maine. By directing federal resources to projects identified by communities themselves, these investments are helping improve public safety, strengthen infrastructure, expand economic opportunity, and give Maine workers and families the tools they need to succeed.
Jackson
I served as Maine Senate president for six years, during which I delivered historic wins for working Mainers. I’m proud of the work I did to improve health care outcomes in the state; I stood up to big pharma to lower prescription drug prices, passed legislation to fund rural hospital and ambulance services, and enshrined patient protections into law to ensure that insurance companies cover essential health benefits and patients with pre-existing conditions.
During my time in the Legislature, I also stood strongly to advance reproductive rights. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, I immediately condemned the ruling and pledged that Maine Senate Democrats would fight attempts to undermine abortion rights. As Senate president, I sponsored and secured one of the strongest abortion laws in the country. I have helped make Maine one of the most progressive states in the nation fighting to protect reproductive care. I have expanded access to abortion and contraception, removed penalties for abortion, countered attempts to create waiting periods and forced ultrasounds, and protected both patients and providers from hostile actions initiated by other states.
More than anything, I’m proud to have a record of standing up for Maine families. When I was Senate president, I brought together Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation to deliver universal school meals for public school students. I also secured paid family leave to help Maine families navigate supporting a family member, managing their health, or caring for a new child. In 2023, I led a bill to secure a historic $60 million investment to support the child care industry, increasing financial assistance to working families to help cover child care costs and increase wages for workers.
Why should we trust you?
Jackson
Mainers can look at my record of voting on the side of working families for the last decade-plus while serving in the Maine state Legislature, and though I’m running for a different office this time, I’ll carry over my commitment to make lives better for the working-class people in our state every chance I get while I’m your senator.
Susan Collins has had 30 years in office to prove she’s on the side of working Mainers, and instead, she’s sided with Donald Trump and his cronies 96% of the time, to advance bills that have squeezed people dry. And now, ProPublica is reporting on FBI scrutiny of her campaign’s dealings with a major donor while she secured them taxpayer-funded contracts. Mainers deserve answers — and a senator whose first loyalty is to them.
Don’t just take my word for it: a grassroots army of volunteers, progressive organizations, small business owners, and union members have all backed my campaign for Senate. You can trust that I’ll be among the most labor-friendly senators in office, and that I mean it when I say that I’ll work hard every day to put you first.
Collins
Trust is something you earn. The people of Maine know me and know that I always do what I believe is best for our state and for America.
My first job was picking potatoes in Caribou at age 10. That experience taught me the value of hard work, responsibility, integrity, and keeping your commitments. I bring those same values to the Senate every day. I represent all Mainers, whether they voted for me or not. I show up, listen, and work hard, casting more than 10,000 consecutive votes without missing one. I meet with thousands of Mainers every year and work to address their concerns through constituent services at my six state offices.
I also have the knowledge, seniority, and experience to deliver for Maine. As the first Mainer in 92 years to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have used this once-in-a-century opportunity to secure funding for projects in all 16 counties. As a result, Maine is the second-highest recipient of congressionally directed spending per capita in the country.
These investments are helping hospitals, strengthening workforce programs, repairing roads and bridges, improving airports, supporting child care and community centers, upgrading fire stations, and funding clean drinking water and wastewater projects. They help communities address critical needs without using property tax hikes.
I care deeply about Maine and our country. I know the importance of strong, effective leadership. Maine deserves a senator who will continue to serve with integrity, work across party lines, and deliver results.