Dem Candidate Stumbles in Debate, Collins Smokes Him on His Record

Office door sign in a hallway — Photo: Katherine Welles / Shutterstock

Senator Susan Collins stood on a debate stage in Maine and rattled off a number her opponent could not touch: nearly $1.5 billion for 672 projects in every single county of the state.

Story Snapshot

Collins cited $1.5 billion secured for 672 Maine projects across all 16 counties since Congress restored directed spending in 2021.
Troy Jackson countered that Collins voted with President Trump 96% of the time, a figure Collins called misleading.
Collins said a fuller study showed 72% alignment with Trump and 92% with former President Biden.
Jackson also attacked Collins over the Kavanaugh confirmation vote, SNAP cuts, and health care costs.

A Debate Built Around One Big Number

Collins told the audience, as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she has “secured $1.5 billion for 672 projects” over the past five years. That claim is not new. Her Senate office and campaign have repeated it for months, tying it to fire stations, bridges, water systems, and hospitals across Maine’s 16 counties. Multiple outlets covering the debate, including NBC News and Bangor Daily News, confirmed she made this same claim on stage.

Collins’ office says these are not abstract line items. Her Senate website describes them as “formal requests submitted by local municipalities, hospitals, colleges, nonprofit organizations, public safety agencies, and economic development groups,” all publicly listed with project names, recipients, and dollar amounts. That transparency matters. Voters deserve to see exactly where federal money lands, not just a headline total.

Jackson Swings At Trump Alignment, Collins Swings Back

Jackson tried a different approach. Rather than match her on funding, he tied Collins directly to President Trump, claiming she “stood with Donald Trump whenever he wanted, that’s 96% of the time”. He argued that alignment drove up costs for Mainers and blamed Collins for advancing a spending package he said cut $3 billion from programs like SNAP and heating aid to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

Collins did not let that number stand unchallenged. She said Jackson’s 96% figure came from a study covering only 30% of her votes. A more complete study, she said, covering 90% of votes, puts her Trump alignment at 72% and her Biden alignment at 92%. She added she votes against her own party more than any other senator, a claim meant to paint her as an independent voice rather than a rubber stamp for either president.

Old Wounds Reopened Over Kavanaugh

Jackson did not stop at spending bills. He opened his remarks by invoking Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, reminding voters that Maine women had urged her to vote no. He linked that vote to the later overturning of Roe v. Wade, a connection meant to sting with female voters nearly seven years on. Collins did not back down from the vote, standing by her original reasoning from the confirmation fight.

Jackson also raised health care, blaming Collins and Trump-era policy for hospital and nursing home closures across rural Maine. In a separate interview, he pointed to Medicare for All as a simpler fix, though he offered little detail on how that would work in a closely divided Senate. Bold claims without a funding mechanism rarely survive contact with Washington math.

Why the Funding Record Still Carries Weight

Jackson’s attacks lean on percentages and blame. Collins’ pitch leans on concrete projects Mainers can drive past. That is a real asymmetry in a debate. Earmarks returned to Congress in 2021 precisely because lawmakers wanted a traceable way to show constituents direct benefit, and political scientists have long noted that visible, local projects carry real electoral weight when voters can connect them to a specific member.

Critics note the $1.5 billion figure is self-reported by Collins’ own office, without independent audit of job creation or statewide impact in the public record. That is a fair point worth watching. But self-reported does not mean false. The project list is public, disclosed by county, and open to scrutiny by any reporter or voter who wants to check it line by line.

What Comes Next For Maine Voters

Ethics allegations against Collins tied to a defense contractor also surfaced during the campaign season. She has pointed to Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Federal Election Commission reviews that found no wrongdoing. Jackson’s camp has not produced new evidence contradicting those findings. Until someone does, repeating old allegations as if they’re unresolved does voters a disservice.

Susan Collins brilliantly shuts down attacks from Troy Jackson in heated Maine debate https://t.co/LFGmm9MwKP

— Pastor Ladena Bough (@LadenaBough) October 7, 2026

Maine voters now face a familiar choice dressed up in new campaign math. One candidate offers a dollar figure and a map of finished projects. The other offers a percentage and a promise that things will change. Appropriations bills take years to show results, while debate soundbites fade by morning. Whichever number sticks in voters’ minds come Election Day will say a lot about what Mainers value most right now.