4 Takeaways From the Maine Senate Debate

With 19 days to go before Maine decides whether to return Susan Collins to the United States Senate for a sixth term, or whether to give Democrat Troy Jackson a crack at the job, the two candidates faced off for a final time. President Trump loomed large over the debate as Collins sought to distance herself from her fellow Republican, and Jackson seeking to tie the two closer together. A look at some key takeaways in a contest vital to the midterm hopes of both parties, per the New York Times and the Hill:

• An independent, or not an independent—and for what?: Collins played up her willingness to part ways with the president and the Republican mainstream, citing her votes in favor of the three liberal Supreme Court justices. Asked to cite an instance of bucking her party and changing an outcome, Collins cited her attempt to marshal fellow Senators to vote against Pete Hegseth's confirmation—a move that ultimately failed. Jackson countered that Collins broke ranks only when the GOP didn't need her vote. "The reality is that 100 percent of the time, when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there," Jackson said.
• Speaking of confirmation votes: Collins was asked to address another contentious vote, that of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and said she did not regret voting for him. "I agree with him on some issues, disagree with him on others," Collins said.
• Billionaires: Jackson admitted Thursday to breaking a promise to eschew cash from billionaires and corporate PACs. "I'm going to tax those billionaires when I get to the US Senate," he said. "So, if they want to give me money during this campaign, I guess that's up to them."
• 'Oh, shut up': Responding to a protester's shout of "AI data centers are destroying our climate," Collins joked that the disruptor was "obviously one of Troy's supporters." A torqued Jackson responded, "Oh, shut up. I don't even know that kid." Collins wasn't having it: "Oh, right."