周二，共和党籍参议员苏珊·柯林斯与民主党挑战者特洛伊·杰克逊在缅因州首次展开辩论。在这场全美最受瞩目的参议院竞选之一中，双方就唐纳德·特朗普总统、生活成本以及堕胎问题互相抨击。对民主党而言，赢得缅因州是其夺取参议院多数席位的关键；他们试图利用民众对特朗普的不满情绪来争取选票。杰克逊在辩论中试图以此策略取胜，他不断将柯林斯与特朗普挂钩，在CBS13新闻台的整整一小时辩论中至少20次提及这位总统。
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson debated for the first time Tuesday in Maine, trading attacks over President Donald Trump, the cost of living and abortion in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Maine is central to Democrats’ path to the Senate majority, as they try to capitalize on the president’s unpopularity. Jackson tried to do just that on Tuesday by tying Collins to Trump, name-checking the president at least 20 times in one hour of debating on CBS13 News.
“你站在谁一边至关重要，”杰克逊在开场白中说道，“我不欠唐纳德·特朗普和那些亿万富翁任何东西；我不会像她那样为亿万富翁们效力。”
“It matters who you stand with,” Jackson said in his opening statement. “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything. I don’t fight for billionaires like she does.”
柯林斯则列举了多次自己反对特朗普政府政策的实例。她还试图将竞选议题聚焦于本地事务，强调自己的资深资历以及作为参议院拨款委员会主席的身份能为缅因州带来诸多益处。她自豪地表示，过去五年间自己已为全州672个项目争取到了总计15亿美元的联邦资金，“从马达瓦斯卡到基特里，从伊斯特波特到拉姆福德。”她强调：“我成功为缅因州争取到联邦拨款，切实减轻了纳税人的负担。”
Collins, meanwhile, emphasized multiple instances where she opposed the Trump administration. She also sought to localize the race and pitch her seniority — and her perch as chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee — as a boost to Maine. She touted $1.5 billion in federal funds that she has brought home to the state for 672 projects in the last five years, “from Madawaksa to Kittery, from Eastport to Rumford.”“I’ve been able to bring home federal dollars to help ease the burden on our taxpayers,” Collins said.
辩论伊始，杰克逊便将柯林斯与特朗普联系起来，反复指出她在参议院的投票立场与特朗普保持一致的比例高达96%。柯林斯则对杰克逊引用的调查方法提出质疑。在谈及特朗普近期暗示可能访问缅因州一事时，柯林斯巧妙地回避了两个问题：如果总统来访，她是否会站在他一边。她仅表示自己并不认为特朗普会来访，还称自己“算不上总统最青睐的参议员”。这一回答引得杰克逊露出笑容。
Jackson set the tone for the debate early by connecting Collins to Trump and repeatedly saying she votes in alignment with him 96% of the time in the Senate. Collins questioned the methodology of the study he cited. In a moment that captured her tricky relationship with her party’s leader, Collins dodged two questions about whether she would stand with the president if he visited Maine, with Trump recently teasing a visit to the Pine Tree State. Collins said only that she doesn’t expect him to come and that she’s “not exactly his favorite senator.”Collins’ answer prompted a grin from Jackson.
特朗普曾称柯林斯“并非我最喜欢的人”，但依然支持她连任。副总统JD·万斯也专程前往缅因州，在多个活动中为她助威。民调显示，柯林斯与杰克逊的支持率不相上下，差距常常处于误差范围之内。如今，柯林斯正试图再次创造奇迹，在这个倾向于民主党的州赢得第六个任期。她是2024年特朗普落败的州中唯一一位来自共和党的参议员。两党均投入数千万美元来争夺这一对参议院控制权至关重要的席位；若柯林斯胜出，民主党要获得参议院多数席位将变得更为艰难。
Trump has said Collins is “not my favorite person” but nevertheless endorsed her for re-election, and Vice President JD Vance has come to Maine and backed her at events. Polls show a neck-and-neck race between Collins and Jackson, often within the margin of error, as Collins seeks to defy gravity yet again and win a sixth term in the blue-leaning state. She is the only GOP senator representing a state Trump lost in 2024. Both parties are spending tens of millions of dollars to hold a seat that carries major implications for control of the chamber, and a victory for Collins would constrict Democrats’ path to the Senate majority.
杰克逊还特别提到柯林斯在2018年投下关键一票，支持布雷特·卡瓦诺出任最高法院大法官。正是卡瓦诺所在的多数派推翻了“罗诉韦德案”的裁决，致使联邦层面的堕胎权不复存在。本周二的辩论恰逢卡瓦诺在参议院获得确认投票的周年纪念日。柯林斯表示，她会根据候选人的资历来评判，并强调自己也曾支持那些投票维护“罗诉韦德案”裁决的大法官。“事实上，我是唯一一位投票支持由民主党总统提名的索托马约尔大法官、凯根大法官以及杰克逊大法官的共和党参议员，”她说。
Jackson also highlighted Collins’ pivotal vote in 2018 to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, doing away with the federal right to abortion. Tuesday’s debate fell on the anniversary of Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote in the Senate. Collins said she judges every nominee by their qualifications, and she noted that she also supported justices who voted to uphold Roe v. Wade. “In fact, I am the only Republican senator to have voted for Justice [Sonia] Sotomayor, [Elena] Kagan, and [Ketanji Brown] Jackson, who were nominated by a Democratic senator,” Collins said.
针对外界试图将她与“罗诉韦德案”被推翻联系起来这一说法，柯林斯予以反驳。她提及杰克逊早年较为保守的堕胎立场，并打趣道：“今天台上只有我一个人始终支持堕胎权。”当时杰克逊并未直接回应这一嘲讽，不过在总结发言中他表示自己曾在州议会积极推动有利于堕胎权利的政策。
Collins also hit back against attempts to tie her to the end of Roe v. Wade, referencing Jackson’s more conservative stance on abortion earlier in his career and quipping, “There’s only one of us on this stage who has always been pro-choice and that’s me.”Jackson did not engage with the barb in the moment, but he noted in his closing statement that he pushed for progressive abortion policies in the state Legislature.
周二早些时候，杰克逊的发言人丹·戈特利布对NBC新闻表示，如果未来两年出现最高法院大法官空缺，他将反对特朗普提名的任何人选——这一立场也得到了部分民主党人的认同。
Jackson’s spokesperson, Dan Gottlieb, told NBC News earlier on Tuesday that he would oppose any Trump Supreme Court nominee in his final two years, should a vacancy open up — a view shared by some other Democrats.
杰克逊还表示，柯林斯投票推进特朗普的“宏伟美好法案”，该法案包含约1万亿美元的医疗补助削减，这一举措不得人心。这引发了柯林斯的反驳，她指出自己在该法案最终表决时投了反对票。这位参议员表示，她“从未投票”削减医疗补助。“他知道我投了反对票，反对特朗普总统的标志性立法成就，”柯林斯说，并补充称她利用立法程序支持了一项500亿美元的农村医疗基金。
Jackson also said Collins voted to advance Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” which contains about $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts that are unpopular. That sparked a brushback from Collins, who noted that she voted against the president’s signature second-term legislation when it came to final passage. The senator said she has “never voted” to cut Medicaid. “He knows I voted against President Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment,” Collins said, while adding that she used the process to support a $50 billion rural health care fund.
杰克逊加倍攻击。“柯林斯参议员就像个纵火犯，帮着点火，却想邀功说自己端来一杯水灭火，”他说。“她本可以阻止这一切。”柯林斯则抨击杰克逊作为缅因州州议员时的“失败”政策，将其与更高的住房成本和财产税联系起来。她还质疑他的立法才能，以及他是否能在分裂的参议院中作为资浅议员发挥作用。
Jackson doubled down. “Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” he said. “She could have stopped it.”Collins went after Jackson’s “failed” policies as a state lawmaker in Maine, connecting them to higher housing costs and property taxes. She additionally questioned his talents as a legislator and whether he could be effective as a junior senator in a divided Senate.
当话题转向移民问题时，杰克逊引用了今年早些时候一名移民与海关执法局（ICE）官员致命射杀一名缅因州居民的事件，称之所以发生是因为“柯林斯参议员不愿对ICE施压”。柯林斯称该枪击案“骇人听闻”，并“表明ICE需要进一步改革”。她表示支持增加执法记录仪资金以及警官培训，并联合缅因州国会代表团向特朗普政府讨说法。
When the topic turned to immigration, Jackson cited an ICE officer’s fatal killing of a Mainer earlier this year, saying that it happened because “Senator Collins would not push back against ICE.”Collins said the shooting was “horrific” and “demonstrates that ICE needs further reform.”She said she supported increased funding for body-worn cameras as well as training of officers and teamed up with the Maine delegation to demand answers from the Trump administration.
在结束陈词中，柯林斯说：“要在参议院发挥作用，你需要知识、经验、资历和人脉。这种组合让我得以通过两党立法。”杰克逊质疑她是否善用权力。“今晚，柯林斯参议员告诉我们她有多强大，”他在结束陈词中说。“但如果在人民需要时你不愿使用，权力就毫无意义。”
In her closing statement, Collins said, “To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority, and relationships. That combination has allowed me to pass bipartisan legislation.”Jackson questioned whether she has used her power well. “Tonight, Senator Collins has told us how powerful she is,” he said in his closing statement. “But power means nothing if you won’t use it when the people may need it.”