Susan Collins Dodges Question on Campaigning With Trump

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, indicated a reluctance to campaign with former President Donald Trump, stating he is "not exactly his favorite senator." Collins made these remarks during her first debate of the election cycle against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.

When asked if she would campaign with Trump should he visit Maine, Collins twice deflected, first suggesting, "I don’t think that President Trump is going to come to Maine." She later added, "I would say that he is not coming to Maine."

Trump had previously mentioned plans to visit Maine as part of his midterm campaign efforts. However, no public itinerary for such a trip has been confirmed. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump lost Maine by approximately seven percentage points, and the state has consistently voted Democratic in presidential contests this century. Despite this trend, Collins, a Republican, has maintained her Senate seat.

During the debate, Jackson attempted to link Collins to Trump's policies, including the war in Iran, trade disputes with Canada, and the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Collins countered by highlighting her opposition to Trump on these issues, noting that she had "voted against my party more than any other senator on either side of the aisle."

Collins also emphasized her efforts to mitigate negative impacts from both Trump's administration and the Democratic-controlled state government in Augusta. She cited an instance where she successfully negotiated for the removal of salt from a tariff list, pointing to Maine's reliance on Canadian salt for winter road treatment.

Jackson criticized Collins' focus on specific trade issues, asking, "What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt." He sought to attribute Maine's rising cost of living to federal policies.

Collins redirected the criticism towards state-level governance under Jackson's leadership, stating that "Maine has the fourth-highest electricity rates in the country. It has some of the highest housing costs in the entire country." She also pointed to "extraordinarily high property taxes" as consequences of "Augusta’s failed policies under the failed leadership of Troy Jackson."

Jackson, who led the state Senate from 2018 to 2024, faced scrutiny from Collins regarding his legislative record. A key point of contention was Collins' 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. When Jackson questioned when she would admit to being wrong, Collins responded, "I clearly don’t agree with how Brett Kavanaugh voted on Roe v. Wade. I would point out that there’s only one of us on the stage who has always been pro-choice, and that’s me."

Collins noted that she had supported all the liberal justices on the Supreme Court, while Jackson, who had previously held staunchly pro-life views, had shifted to a pro-choice stance during his political career.