During the fourth Maine senatorial debate between Democratic nominee Troy Jackson and incumbent U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Collins was asked, “Can you name a time when you voted against your party and President Trump where it actually changed the outcome significantly?”
[NOTE: Jackson has argued that Collins votes with Trump roughly 96% of the time and when she doesn’t, Jackson said, “The votes that she throws away are managed votes that she already knows the outcome.” Collins contends that the real figure on her alignment with Trump is about 72%.]
Collins answered the moderator’s question: “There are several examples of that. At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth. As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise he would’ve been defeated for that job.”
The moderator who asked the question responded, “So it didn’t change the outcome.”
Q: Can you name a time when you voted against your party and President Trump and it changed the outcome?
SUSAN COLLINS: At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth. As you undoubtedly have read, at the very last minute one of our Republicans changed his mind. Otherwise he would’ve been defeated for that job.
Q: So it didn’t change the outcome
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 15, 2026
Conservative OANN host David Pollack responded: “Susan Collins got one simple question: name a vote against your party that actually changed the outcome. Her first answer? A fight she lost. Independence that never changes the result isn’t independence. It’s a talking point.”
Former New York Times media reporter Bill Carter also responded, “So: she can’t name one. Not ONE time her vote against Trump changed the outcome.”
After the debate, Collins appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity and criticized Jackson for telling her to “shut up” after a young protestor interrupted the debate shouting “data centers are poisoning our waters.”
Collins reacted to the interruption, saying, “This is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.” Jackson replied to Collins, “Oh, shut up, I don’t even know that kid.”
A protester yelling that data centers are “poisoning our waters!” interrupts the Collins-Jackson debate, prompting Collins to say “this is obviously one of Troy’s supporters”
“Oh, shut up,” Jackson replies https://t.co/2sP2Ww8X1q
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 15, 2026
Collins went on to suggest that Jackson’s “shut up” was sexist and that Jackson’s reputation includes having trouble “dealing with women with whom he disagrees.”
Collins said: “I was struck by how reflexive the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was. But then I thought about the reputation that Troy Jackson has in Augusta, particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees. So, in some ways, it didn’t surprise me. And the fact that it seemed like such an automatic, quick reply was very telling.”
Sen. Susan Collins blasts Troy Jackson over his “shut up” remark, saying his response was “very telling” given his reputation for how he treats women who disagree with him:
“I was struck by how reflexive the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was. But then I thought about the reputation that Troy Jackson has in Augusta, particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees. So, in some ways, it didn’t surprise me. And the fact that it seemed like such an automatic, quick reply was very telling.”
— Sean Hannity
(@seanhannity) October 17, 2026