参议员苏珊·柯林斯（共和党，缅因州）在争取第六个任期时，落后于民主党挑战者特洛伊·杰克逊，而距离中期选举已不足一个月。《华盛顿邮报》与沙尔学院的最新民调显示，这位前缅因州参议院议长在缅因州选民中以50%的支持率领先柯林斯的46%。这场备受关注的竞选可能将在决定参议院控制权方面发挥关键作用，目前共和党在参议院拥有53个席位的多数席位。
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) trails Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in her bid for a sixth term, with less than a month until the midterm elections. A new Washington Post-Schar School poll found Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, leading Collins 50 percent to 46 percent among Maine voters. The closely watched contest could play a major role in determining control of the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority.
柯林斯是今年唯一一位在支持前副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯赢得2024年总统选举的州内寻求连任的共和党参议员。此前，格雷厄姆·普拉特纳因涉及多起丑闻（包括他否认的性侵犯指控）于7月退出竞选，杰克逊因此获得了民主党提名。此次民调于9月30日至10月5日进行，显示这位共和党参议员在试图与总统特朗普划清界限时面临挑战，特朗普在缅因州选民中的支持率仅为36%。
Collins is the only Republican senator seeking reelection this year in a state that backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Jackson secured the Democratic nomination after Graham Platner withdrew from the race in July following numerous scandals, including sexual assault allegations, which he denied. The survey, which was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5, points to challenges for the Republican as she seeks to distance herself from President Trump, whose approval rating stands at just 36 percent among Maine voters.
58%的受访者认为柯林斯在参议院对特朗普的支持过于强烈，51%的人对该位连任五届的参议员持负面看法。与此同时，43%的人对杰克逊持负面看法。作为参议院拨款委员会主席的柯林斯强调，她能够为缅因州争取联邦资金，并能够跨越党派合作，以吸引独立选民。在将联邦资金引入本州以及两党合作方面，选民们给予这位拥有30年参议院经验的资深参议员比杰克逊高出24个百分点的优势，也更倾向于她的两党合作方式。
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they believed Collins was too supportive of Trump in the Senate, and 51 percent viewed the five-term incumbent unfavorably. Meanwhile, 43 percent held an unfavorable view of Jackson. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, has emphasized her ability to secure federal funding for Maine and work across party lines in an effort to attract independent voters. Voters gave the 30-year Senate veteran a 24-point advantage over Jackson on bringing federal dollars to the state and also preferred her approach to bipartisanship.
“要在参议院发挥效力，你需要知识、经验、资历和人脉关系，”柯林斯在与杰克逊的辩论中表示，“正是这种结合让我能够推动通过两党合作的立法。”与此同时，杰克逊在多个对选民至关重要的议题上占据优势，包括经济、医疗保健、堕胎和政府腐败问题。
“To be effective in the Senate, you need knowledge, experience, seniority and relationships,” Collins said during a debate with Jackson. “That combination has allowed me to pass bipartisan legislation.”
经济负担能力成为缅因州选民最关心的问题：63%的受访者认为家庭能源和公用事业费用过高，难以负担；在伊朗战争背景下，62%的受访者对汽油价格持同样看法。超过一半的受访者还表示，食品和医疗费用也超出了他们的承受范围。柯林斯试图将杰克逊描绘成对缅因州而言过于自由主义的候选人——杰克逊得到了佛蒙特州独立参议员伯尼·桑德斯的支持。柯林斯指出杰克逊支持“全民医保”计划，但同时也批评他在立法生涯中曾反对堕胎权。
Jackson, meanwhile, held an advantage on several issues important to voters, including the economy, healthcare, abortion and government corruption. Affordability emerged as the leading concern among Maine voters, with 63 percent describing home energy and utility costs as unaffordable and 62 percent saying the same about gasoline prices amid the Iran war. More than half also said groceries and healthcare were unaffordable. Collins has sought to portray Jackson, who has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), as too liberal for Maine, pointing to his support for Medicare for All while simultaneously calling out his previous opposition to abortion rights during his legislative career.