Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson told Republican Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" Thursday night during their final debate in Bangor, after a protester interrupted the event.
The moment came when a moderator asked the candidates to name times they had bucked their own party. As Collins began her answer, a man in the audience started shouting that "AI data centers are destroying our climate." Collins remarked, "So this is obviously one of Troy's supporters." Jackson shot back: "Oh, shut up. I don't even know that kid."
Collins also pointed to her record of independence. Asked about a time she opposed President Trump, she said she had organized opposition to Pete Hegseth's confirmation as defense secretary, adding that "at the very last minute one of our Republicans changed his mind." The moderator noted that effort did not change the outcome.
The debate was the last of four meetings between the two candidates. Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, became the Democratic nominee after Graham Platner withdrew from the race. Polls show a tight contest for the seat Collins has held since 1997, and Democrats see it as key to their hopes of winning back a Senate that Republicans now control 53-47.
Collins, one of the chamber's most senior Republicans, is seeking a sixth term. Thursday's exchange quickly spread online and capped a series of increasingly tense debates.
Photo: Photo by Nate Sawyer, March 5, 2026 (CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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