U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic opponent Troy Jackson meet at 8 p.m. Thursday for their second debate of their race, hosted by WMTW.
Their first debate Tuesday centered on abortion and ethics. On the eighth anniversary of her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, Collins refused to say she regretted it, turning Jackson’s anti-abortion past against him. Jackson pressed her on a recent ProPublica report that the FBI was circling her campaign as late as 2024 over an alleged pay-to-play scheme that she denies.
Jackson, a former Maine Senate president from Allagash, is the slightest of favorites. Decision Desk HQ, the BDN’s election results partner, gives him a 53% chance of winning. Former President Barack Obama endorsed him Thursday. A new disclosure filed this week showed Jackson was paid $138,000 by two unions during his run for governor.
Maine is central to control of the Senate as the only top battleground won by Kamala Harris in 2024. Tonight is the second of four debates in 10 days, following Tuesday’s clash that left a handful of claims to fact-check.
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