BRUNSWICK, Maine — U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona on Wednesday defended Democrat Troy Jackson against one of Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ central knocks against the former Maine Senate president: that he lacks the experience and ability to get things done in Washington.
For the second campaign stop in two days alongside Jackson, Kelly steered clear of directly criticizing or naming the five-term incumbent. He bashed Republicans at large, saying the majority party had failed to check President Donald Trump. He argued Jackson represents a working-class voice that could help a Democratic majority set a new course for the country.
“We’re in a really bad spot right now,” he told reporters outside Flight Deck Brewing. “The top 1% is just getting richer and richer, and families are falling behind and can’t afford gas in the car. Young people can’t afford rent.”
The back-and-forth with Kelly, a retired Navy fighter pilot and astronaut considering a 2028 presidential run, gets at the central tension of Maine’s U.S. Senate race. Collins is asking voters to value the seniority and Appropriations Committee gavel she has used to steer federal money home, while Jackson is betting on Trump’s unpopularity.
“Republicans in the United States Congress gave a big tax cut to the top people … and it was paid for by taking healthcare away and food assistance away from people who can’t afford it,” Kelly said. “That’s what Republicans did because this president asked them to.”
The criticism didn’t acknowledge that Collins, who has highlighted breaks with Trump on the Iran war, tariffs and healthcare cuts, was one of three Republicans who voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. She did so citing an estimated $5.9 billion cuts to Maine’s Medicaid program over a decade. Jackson during debates and in ads has said Collins’ previous vote supporting a motion to bring the bill to the Senate floor still makes her responsible for the eventual cuts.
When asked about Collins and her criticism of Jackson, Kelly suggested lawmakers over time have difficulty “in how they respond to the challenges our country is facing at any moment.”
He did not respond directly to mention of the senator touting her position as appropriations chair compared to Jackson coming into the chamber with far less immediate influence. But he made the case that the Democrat’s background would serve him well on Capitol Hill.
“Troy, like me, we come from working class families,” Kelly said. “I’m the son of two cops. I didn’t go to some fancy private school or have connections or a trust fund. I understand what it’s like for folks to struggle to get by, and I know Troy does too.”
Collins has talked up her track record of bipartisan legislation and bringing $1.5 billion in federal earmarks to Maine projects over the last five years. She argues Jackson would face an uphill battle being effective in a sharply divided Senate.
In a recent debate the senator pointed to Jackson’s Augusta record. Along with 100 combined vetoes of his bills by Govs. Janet Mills and Paul LePage, more than a third of his bills over two decades in the Legislature died after being unanimously rejected in committee. Jackson countered that lawmakers hold hearings on all bills and many that are killed have parts worked into other packages.
“If you can’t find one person in your own party to vote for your bills when you were the Senate president, how do you think you’re going to get things done … as the most junior senator?” Collins said.