Jackson invites Collins to town halls after senator proposes debate series

Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ campaign said she has agreed to four debates against Troy Jackson, though the Democratic challenger has yet to sign on.

According to a statement from Collins’ campaign, the first proposed debate would be hosted jointly by NewsCenter Maine, Maine Public and the Portland Press Herald the week of Sept. 6. It would be followed by debates individually hosted by WGME and WMTW, and another co-hosted by WABI and WAGM.

Early voting in Maine begins on October 5.

“Senator Collins believes that Maine people deserve the chance to see both candidates answer the same questions, in the same room, more than once, and as soon as possible,” said campaign spokesperson Shawn Roderick in a statement. 

The Jackson campaign is still negotiating the details and has not yet committed to these specific debates.

Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb said the campaign believes “any debates should be town hall debates — with Mainers in the room asking the questions that matter to their families.”

In a statement sent later Thursday, the campaign specifically said two of the televised debates should be town hall-style. Jackson also invited Collins to join him at three public town halls next week, criticizing the incumbent for her lack of public forums.

Collins has previously said she prefers meeting with constituents individually or in small groups.

Jackson is currently navigating a compressed campaign after the former Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, dropped out of the race on July 8 following an accusation of sexual assault. Coming off of a recent loss in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Jackson quickly consolidated support for his Senate bid, becoming the presumptive replacement before official votes were cast at a nominating convention organized by the state party in a matter of weeks. 

But the campaign is ramping up. Last month, Jackson raised the third most out of all Democratic U.S. Senate candidates through the party’s national fundraising platform, ActBlue. However, his haul is still below the $11 million cash on hand Collins reported during the last filing deadline through June 30. The five-term senator also maintains a financial edge via the backing of outside groups. 

There are also six formally declared write-in candidates in the race, though they will not likely be included in the debates, which typically require candidates to be polling at a certain level.