Bangor's Gracie Theater at Husson University served as the venue for a fourth and concluding debate between Democrat Troy Jackson and Republican Susan Collins in their contest for Maine's U.S. Senate seat. Of the debates in the series, this one alone brought in a live audience — attendees drawn from lists provided by the campaigns — and was organised through a joint arrangement with Maine Public, the Portland Press Herald, and a broadcast outlet.
Roughly a quarter-hour into the proceedings, an attendee rose from their seat and began calling out about data centres. The moderator paused briefly while security escorted out a person who appeared to be wearing a press badge, after which Collins told the room that the individual was a supporter of Troy's. In response, Jackson told the other party to be quiet.
The two candidates were each given a turn to pose a direct question to the other, while Collins separately stated that the individual in question was unknown to her.
At the debate, Collins pointed to what she described as a contradiction in Jackson's position: while Jackson had pledged to keep his fundraising free of billionaire and corporate PAC money, his campaign had been running joint advertisements alongside the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — an organisation that, according to Collins, had accepted contributions from 28 billionaires and 190 corporate PACs. Early in the exchange, Jackson appeared to conflate the joint advertisements — which bear his endorsement — with independent super PACs, two distinct categories the law prohibits him from coordinating with, treating them as though the legal boundary separating the two did not apply.
Earlier that day, Jackson had pledged to return $15,000 in contributions tied to oil and pharmaceutical lobbying interests. He also told reporters that wealthy donors are among those backing his campaign, while drawing a distinction between their involvement and what he described as deal-making by Collins, stating that no commitments on his votes had been extended to any of them.
Jackson, when his turn came, drew on his upbringing among working-class communities and posed a direct question to Collins about whether she views him — or people from similar backgrounds — as beneath her. Collins recalled beginning farmwork in Aroostook County's potato fields at age ten, telling the audience that she holds deep respect for the people of Maine and looks down on no one.
The two candidates then took opposing positions on whether the U.S. Supreme Court should undergo reform. Jackson expressed support for term limits, enforceable ethics rules, and a potential expansion of the court's membership, framing the situation as one requiring action to restore public trust in the institution. Collins argued that adding justices would run counter to the constitutional framers' intent and would undermine the court's insulation from political influence — a position she maintained after a moderator pointed out that the figure of nine justices does not appear in the Constitution's text. Jackson countered that the court's current composition reflects the influence of money rather than merit.
Separately, Collins noted her backing of the assault weapons ban that Congress passed in the 1990s. She put forward the position that Democrats had allowed the ban to expire by pursuing an expanded version rather than a straightforward renewal. Her record includes a vote in favour of banning bump stocks, a stated position backing limits on ammunition magazine capacity, and an openness to raising the minimum age for purchasing certain semi-automatic firearms.
On the question of raising the minimum purchase age for such firearms, Jackson expressed opposition, stating that individual character, in his view, determines outcomes more than the buyer's age. He noted that purchasing firearms has long been part of the established way of life across Maine. Jackson indicated he held no objection to a ban on assault-style firearms, though he drew a line at any measure that would strip ownership from people who already possess them, adding that he saw no justifiable purpose for such weapons. He noted those items are restricted to non-hunting purposes only.
Jackson, a 58-year-old who previously worked in logging, drew a connection between Collins and the Trump administration, contending that its policy decisions have pushed up the cost of everyday goods, energy, and fuel. Collins's argument for re-election rested on the leverage that long congressional tenure provides, pointing to roughly $1.5 billion in federal funding she attributes to Maine through that accumulated standing. During his time leading the Maine Senate, Jackson had backed solar energy measures — a voting record Collins pointed to when arguing he bore responsibility for elevated energy costs.
