Joe Manchin backs Susan Collins in tight Maine Senate race
Former Democratic Senator Joe Manchin traveled to Maine to campaign for Republican Senator Susan Collins, emphasizing her bipartisan record as she confronts Democrat Troy Jackson, according to Fox News. The fourth and final debate saw Jackson interrupt Collins with a “shut up” remark after a protester shouted about AI data centers, a moment reported by the Washington Post and Fox News. NBC News noted that the debate was dominated by discussion of President Donald Trump’s influence on Collins’s re-election prospects, while MS NOW warned that Trump’s unpopularity could depress Republican turnout in rural areas.
Earlier debates featured clashes over abortion, tariffs, electricity costs and Iran-related investments, with fact-checks finding several exaggerated claims, as described by WMTW. Subsequent debates focused on Medicaid, tax cuts and ICE funding, and polls indicated the contest remained within a few points, according to the Boston Globe and Newsweek.
