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<\/a><\/p>\nMaine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson speaks in Biddeford, Maine, on Sept. 13, 2026. (Joseph Prezioso\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want any more offensive weapons going to murder people in Palestine,\u201d Jackson explained, in a rebuttal to his opponent, Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.<\/p>\n
The two candidates were participating in their first general election debate, aired on CBS13 and moderated by news anchor Gregg Lagerquist, without a live audience. Jackson, who holds a narrow lead over Collins, has rattled many members of the Jewish community in recent weeks, as he has intensified anti-Israel rhetoric and made controversial comments to Maine Jews.<\/p>\n
The Maine U.S. Senate race is a key battleground in Democrats\u2019 effort to regain control of the chamber, which requires a net gain of four seats. A Jackson victory would replace Collins, a longtime supporter of military aid to Israel, with a Democrat who has called for ending that assistance.<\/p>\n
A former state lawmaker and union advocate, Jackson secured the Democratic nomination at the end of July in a landslide victory. He won the nomination after the former Democratic nominee, staunch Israel critic Graham Platner, left the race amid a sexual assault allegation, which Platner denies. <\/p>\n
Jackson had previously said little publicly about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but during the contest to replace Platner, he accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n
Collins, a five-term senator, has been a staunch supporter of Israel over the past three decades.<\/p>\n
Asked by Lagerquist during a lightning round whether the U.S. should increase, decrease or keep military funding for Israel the same, Collins responded that \u201cthe current level is good,\u201d adding that she is \u201ca strong supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson, meanwhile, argued that \u201cit\u2019s kind of unfair to ask that like this,\u201d while also noting that he has the endorsement of J Street, the liberal pro-Israel organization. <\/p>\n
After Jackson then declared that the U.S. should not be \u201cgiving a blank check\u201d to Israel, Collins accused him of making comments that were \u201cvery different\u201d from his past remarks. Jackson denied this claim, while arguing against the supply of more offensive weapons to \u201cmurder people.\u201d Calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u201ca war criminal,\u201d he noted that \u201cSenator Collins likes him.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s remarks came just a week after he apologized to members of the Jewish community for controversial comments he had made in a News Center Maine television interview. <\/p>\n
During the interview, he had described the war in Gaza as \u201ca genocide,\u201d adding that \u201cthere are people here in Maine that don\u2019t like to use that term only because, you know, they\u2019re Jewish and, you know, what that means to them with the Holocaust.\u201d <\/p>\n
Although he did not retract his views on the conflict, he acknowledged that the word genocide \u201ccarries particular weight for many Jewish families given the Holocaust \u2013 the genocide of six million Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn trying to acknowledge that, I misspoke and made a generalization about Jewish Mainers\u2019 views that doesn\u2019t reflect what I meant to say. I apologize for the pain that caused,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Just before the Democratic nominating convention this past summer, Jackson vowed that he would \u201cnever vote in favor of U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pine Tree State Poll, released by the University of New Hampshire two weeks ago, found that the two candidates were in a statistical tie, with 51% of voters polled favoring Jackson and 47% opting for Collins.<\/p>\n