Geoff Bennett:
One of the most attention-grabbing Senate races is taking place in Maine, where five-time Republican Susan Collins faces a strong challenge from Democrat Troy Jackson, a former logger and state lawmaker. The race is considered a toss-up, with both parties fighting for a seat that could determine control of the U.S. Senate.
Our Lisa Desjardins now reports from Maine.
Lisa Desjardins:
Right in the center of Maine, for the small town of Brownville, a great moment.
Man:
I want to thank you for everything you have done for our organization.
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME):
THANKS. Thanks too.
(APPLAUSE)
Lisa Desjardins:
Thanking Republican Sen. Susan Collins for helping bring $2.8 million here, including money to replace this aging fire station.
Senator Susan Collins:
Helping our first responders has been a top priority for me.
Lisa Desjardins:
This is not a campaign event, but it is central to Collins’ argument.
Senator Susan Collins:
Good to see you.
Lisa Desjardins:
She brought some $1.5 billion to her state, funding 45 fire stations, as well as water treatment sites, health centers and more.
Shelly Ekholm, Maine voter:
Senator Collins is a down-to-earth woman who works hard for the state of Maine and our country. She fights for everyone, not just a particular party.
Lisa Desjardins:
One hundred and thirty miles and one political light year to the southwest, a different theory of what Maine needs.
Troy Jackson (D), Maine Senate candidate: You can’t vote to fund Donald Trump’s agenda and then go home and tell us how worried you are about it.
Lisa Desjardins:
Troy Jackson is the Democratic Senate candidate who is running as a progressive. He is a logger turned politician who served as president of the state Senate. But the message here was less about him and more about opposing President Trump and Collins.
Karsten Rees, Maine voter:
I think we’re ready for a change and for someone to vote more consistently with Maine’s interests.
Lisa Desjardins:
Further south, in Kennebunk, even without candidates in sight, the election is in the air, and some are in difficulty, like Bill Amabile.
Bill Amabile, Maine voter:
It’s really a difficult decision for me. I have supported her in the past.
Lisa Desjardins:
Could you go either way at this point for you?
Bill Amabile:
Yes yes. I haven’t completely decided yet.
Lisa Desjardins:
Maine likes to go against the political rules. In 2020, it was the only state to split its primary races, voting for Joe Biden for president and Susan Collins for Senate. So while Collins will need loyal Republicans, she will also need the loyalty of some of the most independent-minded voters in the country.
Nick Papin, Troy Jackson supporter:
In 2020, I voted for Biden and I voted for Susan Collins for senator.
Lisa Desjardins:
Susan Collins, now where are you with her?
Nick Papin:
I will never support her again.
Lisa Desjardins:
Nick Papin runs a small business and lives with his partner in Kittery, Maine. He was never politically active until last fall.
Graham Platner (D):
Health care is a human right.
Lisa Desjardins:
When he heard Democrat Graham Platner and his message against big money in campaigns. But a series of scandals erupted around Platner, including a rape allegation, which he strongly denied, which led him to quit.
After that, Jackson was chosen, not by the electorate as a whole, but by the delegates at a convention.
It wasn’t your first choice.
Nick Papin:
Correct.
Lisa Desjardins:
Where are you right now?
Nick Papin:
Now I’m completely behind Troy.
Lisa Desjardins:
Partly because he’s furious with Collins. He says she didn’t stand up to President Trump enough.
Nick Papin:
Having shared my votes all my life, the Republican Party has gone rogue. It’s a race to the bottom. Who can be more Trump than Trump? Their values have strayed so far from my core values that I don’t see the opportunity to vote for another Republican in my lifetime.
Lisa Desjardins:
But while some in this rugged, rocky state see Collins as part of a storm, others see her as what’s keeping Maine safe.
Linda Post, Susan Collins supporter:
If we have anyone but her there, this Maine will have nothing. They won’t care about Maine. We are such a small state.
Lisa Desjardins:
Linda Post lives in Owls Head, in the Midcoast region of Maine. His support for Collins is personal.
Message from Linda:
That was him at the St. George Legion.
Lisa Desjardins:
Linda’s father, a World War II veteran, relied on the LIHEAP heating assistance fund, but a problem interrupted him and threatened his heat. For weeks, Linda faced red tape.
Message from Linda:
His income was Social Security. That’s all he had, so I contacted Senator Collins’ office.
Lisa Desjardins:
She says her father’s fuel assistance was quickly restored, which is just one example of why she thinks Maine needs Collins.
Message from Linda:
It’s important, I think, that we have someone who has his experience, his background. She knows Washington well. And I don’t think it’s time to change.
Lisa Desjardins:
The skyrocketing cost of fuel oil has become a more important campaign issue.
Troy Jackson:
Today, with the war in Iran, heating oil costs $6 a gallon.
Lisa Desjardins:
One in the onslaught of advertisements. More than $200 million was spent by campaigns and outside groups, the highest per voter figure of any state.
Narrator:
Troy Jackson is a bad guy.
Man:
She increased her wealth by over $10 million.
Lisa Desjardins:
Part of a campaign cycle that governed voters and candidates.
Senator Susan Collins:
More than a billion dollars.
Lisa Desjardins:
They debated four times this month with substantive disagreements, but also headlines when a protester interrupted them and this exchange took place.
Senator Susan Collins:
He is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.
Troy Jackson:
Oh, shut up. I don’t – I don’t even know this kid.
Lisa Desjardins:
Jackson later defended himself by telling Collins to – quote – “shut up.”
Throughout the campaign, questions were also asked about the preparedness of this replacement candidate and how he would deliver on promises such as Medicare for All or changing campaign finance laws.
It’s easy to say that we want to change money in politics. But tell me, how exactly do you plan to do that?
Troy Jackson:
Yes, and there’s no doubt it’s going to be difficult with President Trump, but obviously in two years there will be a new president, and a simple majority might be able to do that, eliminating the filibuster, so we don’t end up having — 60 again.
Lisa Desjardins:
Would you do that?
Troy Jackson:
I – absolutely. Look, I fought for majorities here in Maine. I was in the minority. You don’t build majorities so you can let a handful of people block you.
Question:
Discuss these controversies.
Lisa Desjardins:
For Collins, there were questions about a ProPublica report alleging that the FBI wanted to investigate her and others for potential corruption centered on a convicted former defense contractor.
Senator Susan Collins:
These allegations are completely false and very offensive.
Lisa Desjardins:
But his record was center stage. She voted against Secretary Pete Hegseth as a clean break from Trump and defended her 2018 vote for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as based on qualifications and consistent with the votes of liberal justices.
She opposed President Trump’s re-election and voted no on last year’s Big Beautiful Bill. But some voters we spoke with said she should be more aggressive in her opposition to Trump. I asked him about it.
Senator Susan Collins:
What some people want, which I don’t think works, is for me to ramble and rave. The fact is that the people of this country disagreed with me and elected Donald Trump as president. I think it’s a mistake for any member of the Senate to so severe their relationship with a president’s office that they can’t do anything.
I was able to get things done.
Lisa Desjardins:
On the one hand, those who believe in what Susan Collins has and can do for the state and see Troy Jackson as a flawed politician with no clear plans.
Message from Linda:
It was a mistake to set him up to run against Susan.
Lisa Desjardins:
For what?
Message from Linda:
Because I think he’s out of his league.
Lisa Desjardins:
On the other, voters angry with President Trump, who considers that Susan Collins gives him the means.
Nick Papin:
I don’t believe her anymore. There’s an expression we have, Susan Collins is always there when you don’t need her. I’ve never seen her take a stand against Don – I mean a real stand against Donald Trump.
Lisa Desjardins:
Polls show this beautiful state is also closely divided. Above lies an urgent decision: Who do they trust to lead the future?
For the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Lisa Desjardins, covering all of Maine.
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