5 Takeaways From the Senate Debate in Maine
- Collins touted her votes for liberal justices as proof of 'independence' — because supporting the court's swing votes is a real profile in courage.
- Democratic challenger Troy Jackson tried to strap Trump to Collins like a millstone, a burden she's been shaking since 2016.
- Latest polls show a dead heat with 19 days to go, meaning Collins' moderate mask is slipping or Maine's independents need an eye exam.
- Both candidates spent the debate arguing who can better screw over outsiders — one for the status quo, one for the resistance.
- The 'independent' label is America's most potent political Viagra, and Collins is popping it like candy on live TV.
Brief Summary
In a nail-biter of a final debate in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins, the GOP's own Madame Defarge, used her time to claim independence from Trump while pretending her vote counts are anything but a curated highlight reel. Challenger Troy Jackson, a former logger with a human pulse, spent his time trying to cement her to a president whose approval rating in this state is lower than a lobster's IQ. Polls show a dead heat with 19 days until the apocalypse, so expect both campaigns to spend that time praying to different gods. Collins' closing pitch was a tour de force of self-serving delusion, listing her votes for 'liberal justices' as though that absolves her for enabling a wannabe autocrat. Jackson, meanwhile, is betting that Mainers are finally ready to elect someone who won't sacrifice them on the altar of the GOP's corporate tax cuts.
Why This Matters
For the average reader, this race is a national litmus test: Can a moderate Republican's 'I'm different!' act survive a president who turns every election into a loyalty oath? If Collins wins, it's a green light for every GOP incumbent to keep smiling while the ship burns — just claim you smelled smoke first. If Jackson wins, it's the first major bagel in the Democrats' case that the suburbs and rural folks alike are done with spineless triangulation. Either way, your subscription to The Times will be used to read postmortems that blame everyone but the voters, so savor the suspense now.