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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/maine-senate-debate-takeaways.html?emc=edit_ufn_20261007&nl=from-the-times&segment_id=227671",
    "parsed_content": "liveUpdatesOct. 7, 2026, 12:54 p.m. ET2m agoThe Race for CongressWhen to Vote in Your StateLatest PollsCompetitive RacesAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENT5 Takeaways From the First Maine Senate DebateSenator Susan Collins, one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the midterms, clashed with the Democratic challenger Troy Jackson over President Trump, ICE and more.Share full articleOpen modal at item 1 of 2Open modal at item 2 of 2Senator Susan Collins, left, clashed with the Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in their first debate.Ryan David Brown for The New York TimesBy Lisa LererTim Balk and Emily DaviesLisa Lerer reported from New York, Tim Balk from Portland, Maine, and Emily Davies from Washington.Published Oct. 6, 2026Updated Oct. 7, 2026, 6:46 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, and Troy Jackson, the Democratic former president of the State Senate who is 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.It\u2019s not often that an incumbent agrees to multiple debates against a challenger. But Ms. Collins appeared to be betting that Mr. Jackson, who is known as a bit of an uneven campaigner and has never run in a statewide general election, would stumble.Instead, he held his own against a five-term senator in a duel that was, at times, quite testy.Here are five takeaways from the debate in Maine, a crucial state in the battle for Senate control.Collins was on the defensive over Trump.At times, Ms. Collins seemed to have two opponents on the debate stage: Mr. Jackson and Mr. Trump.Throughout the night, Ms. Collins tried to rebut Mr. Jackson\u2019s argument that she had failed to stand up to the president even as she often expressed grave concern about his policies.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTShe criticized Mr. Trump\u2019s tariffs, said his immigration enforcement action needed more oversight and, at one point, proudly boasted, \u201cI am not exactly his favorite senator.\u201dMs. Collins sidestepped a question about whether she would stand with Mr. Trump if he were to visit Maine, which the president suggested this week that he might do. \u201cI don\u2019t think that President Trump is going to come to Maine,\u201d she said.Mr. Trump lost Maine in the past three presidential elections.And her vote for Kavanaugh was under the spotlight.From the start, Mr. Jackson made clear that he planned to target Ms. Collins over her vote exactly eight years ago to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.\u201cWould you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?\u201d he asked, in his opening statement.Ms. Collins, one of just two Republican senators who support abortion rights, has repeatedly said she does not regret her vote to confirm the justice. But the senator stressed that she did not agree with Justice Kavanaugh on Roe and was instead more aligned with the liberal justices she also voted to confirm. And she tried to flip the attack back on Mr. Jackson. \u201cThere\u2019s only one of us on the stage who has always been pro-choice, and that\u2019s me,\u201d she said, a reference to Mr. Jackson\u2019s opposition to abortion rights earlier in his political career.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMr. Jackson responded, \u201cI just think it\u2019s incredible she won\u2019t admit to being wrong.\u201dThere were stark disagreements over ICE.When immigration came up, Mr. Jackson went on the offensive, targeting an issue that has been a sensitive one for Ms. Collins since a Colombian man, Johan Sebasti\u00e1n Dur\u00e1n Guerrero, was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Maine in July.Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. It's a pivotal moment for American politics. Join us for 2026 and beyond. Get it sent to your inbox.\u201cHe\u2019s not here now because Senator Collins would not push back against ICE,\u201d Mr. Jackson, who supports abolishing the agency, argued in one of the debate\u2019s more tense moments.Ms. Collins called the shooting \u201chorrific\u201d and said it had demonstrated that ICE needed \u201cserious reforms.\u201d But the senator noted that she had helped secure funding for training for ICE agents and called for an impartial investigation.\u201cYou cannot abolish ICE,\u201d Ms. Collins said, asking rhetorically, \u201cDo you really want to abolish an agency that is responsible for deporting violent criminals?\u201dMr. Jackson replied, \u201cYou don\u2019t put more money into an agency that is killing people across this country.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThey clashed over the value of Senate seniority.Ms. Collins promoted her seniority in Washington as a major benefit for her home state that helped her bring federal funds and jobs to Maine.Mr. Jackson, however, insisted that she had failed to leverage her power in a way that helped working people in Maine. Again and again, he sought to blame Ms. Collins for Trump administration policies that resulted in higher costs for housing, gas, groceries and other essential goods.Ms. Collins tried to defend her record with statistics and explanations about the workings of the Senate and the limitations of her power. She described herself as the \u201cmost outspoken opponent of the tariffs with Canada\u201d and highlighted her success exempting road salt and cement from the duties.Mr. Jackson framed those efforts as too little and too late.\u201cMainers can\u2019t afford to pay their bills with a press release or a strongly worded letter,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat about everything else? We can\u2019t eat road salt.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThey are just getting started.The night set off a dizzying nine days in which Ms. Collins and Mr. Jackson are scheduled to debate three more times.The furious schedule may suggest that neither candidate believes that they have established a clear lead, that Mr. Jackson is hungry to introduce himself to Maine voters after entering the race in a rare summer substitution, and that the experienced Ms. Collins is equally eager to take him on.The next debate is scheduled for Thursday.Taylor Robinson contributed reporting.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT"
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