Susan Collins brilliantly shuts down attacks from Troy Jackson in heated Maine debate

Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins of Maine deftly fended off rhetorical attacks from her Democrat challenger and even threw some damaging counterpunches in their debate Tuesday night.The wide-ranging debate was the first of four and covered everything from ICE to the president's "Big, Beautiful" budget bill.'Democrats underestimate Susan Collins at their peril.'Democrat Troy Jackson was clearly on a mission to tie Collins to President Donald Trump as much as possible, while Collins responded by threading the needle between defending her record and establishing her independence.At one point she proudly expressed the difference between herself and the rest of the Republican Party. "I voted against my party more than any other senator on either side of the aisle," she said.Jackson went on the attack against Collins for her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. She had said she was satisfied that he would not vote to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and many pro-abortion activists blamed her on the issue."I would, you know, wonder for everyone, including myself, would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?" Jackson asked rhetorically in his opening remarks.Collins similarly swiped at Jackson from the left for transmogrifying into a progressive Democrat after identifying as an anti-abortion Republican. "There’s only one of us on the stage who has always been pro-choice, and that's me," she said.Jackson tried to blame Collins for inflation and unaffordable housing, but she pushed back and pointed out that Jackson presided over the state at a time when more local policies worsened affordability.She also was able to flatly refute him when he tried personal attacks, such as the claim that Collins had never been without health care. "Troy, you're just out-and-out wrong on that," she countered.Jackson was pressured to answer whether he identified as a socialist Democrat, and he instead attacked Collins over Elon Musk in a rambling non-response.Collins was able to shove Jackson into an extremist pigeonhole by pointing out that he supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jackson also said voters should not have to show ID.While the 73-year-old incumbent definitely showed her age, she was very much on point and cogently defended her positions while landing some significant blows upon the 58-year-old challenger.Polling suggests that Jackson has been competing well for the seat despite coming into the nomination late after Graham Platner dropped out over his various and sundry scandals.RELATED: Former Democrat Joe Manchin endorses Republican — and calls her the 'soul of the Senate' At least one national politics reporter warned Democrats not to feel too confident about unseating the five-term senator, no matter what the polls say."Democrats underestimate Susan Collins at their peril," said Lisa Lerer of the New York Times. "In 2020, she was re-elected by nine points, even as President Trump lost the state and amid a huge amount of spending by Democrats."While the debate was heated at times, the interlocutors remained civil and shook hands after the contest ended.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!