U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson held their fourth and final televised debate Thursday at Husson University in Bangor, clashing over Trump alignment, data center development and the influence of undisclosed campaign spending in a race with potentially major national implications.
Jackson, a professional logger and former Maine Senate president who entered the race in July, sought to portray Collins as aligned with the Republican president. Jackson claimed Collins votes with Trump 96 percent of the time, saying "the reality is that 100% of the time, when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there."
Collins, a 30-year Senate veteran who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, disputed the figure. According to Maine Public chief political correspondent Steve Mistler, the 96 percent statistic comes from analysis of only about one-third of votes taken. Collins said the actual alignment is about 72 percent and pointed to years of analysis showing her as one of the most bipartisan senators from either party. "We have lost a lot of the centrists and one of the reasons is we need people who will work across party lines," she said.
Climate protester interrupts with fake press credential
About 15 minutes into the debate, an audience member stood and shouted about data centers poisoning Maine's waters. Collins quipped, "So this is obviously one of Troy's supporters." Jackson replied that he did not know the person and told Collins to shut up.
The protester was Henry Elgie, 19, a Bowdoin College student who appeared to be wearing a press badge, according to the Portland Press Herald. Event organizers said he was not on the pre-registered media list but presented a Bowdoin Orient press badge. The editor-in-chief of the Orient said the student paper did not send anyone to the debate and the credential must have been fabricated.
Elgie shouted that he was terrified about data centers destroying the climate and poisoning waters, and accused both candidates of taking corporate political action committee money to an absurd degree. A Sunrise Movement spokesperson said Elgie lives and is registered to vote in Brunswick. The Sunrise Movement, a national progressive group focused on young people fighting climate change, released a statement from Elgie criticizing Collins: "Instead of investing in real climate solutions, Susan Collins continues to prioritize endless war and tax cuts for billionaires. My generation deserves a livable future."
The Collins campaign responded Friday by sharing a photo of supporters outside an earlier debate, saying the person holding a fake $150,000 check made out to a political action committee was Elgie.
Data center divide and hydropower
Jackson supported a proposed moratorium on large data centers in Maine that Gov. Janet Mills, an outgoing Democrat, vetoed earlier this year. Mills cited concerns that the pause until November 2027 would have killed a project in Jay. That project went on hold this summer despite the veto.
Collins expressed support in August for data center projects at former mill sites, saying "there is usually hydropower right there, so there's an energy source built in." She has also called for federal guardrails on data center development, including regulations on water and energy use. President Donald Trump has called for more data center development, though public polling in Maine and nationally shows a majority of Americans from both parties oppose data centers being built in their communities.
Dark money floods race despite both candidates' opposition
Collins and Jackson both said they opposed so-called dark money in politics, where donors hide contributions by giving to organizations that do not disclose their sources. Yet according to Mistler, Collins and Jackson have benefited from at least $75 million in dark money spending so far in the race.
Jackson criticized Trump's actions on January 6, saying Trump was trying every trick in the book to keep power and had led an insurrection. He said he did not believe Trump would be stopped and that democracy was at risk.