Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson on Sunday said he has no plans to apologize to his opponent, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), after telling the incumbent to “shut up” during a recent debate.
Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash, Jackson was asked about an incident during the fourth and final Senate debate in Maine in which Collins referred to a protester as one of Jackson’s supporters, to which Jackson responded by telling Collins to “shut up.” Bash asked Jackson if he regretted using the phrase, and he did not mince his words.
“No,” Jackson said. “She said that it was a Troy supporter. I mean, she accused me of setting that up. I had no idea who it was. I mean, I was surprised whenever he jumped up out of there.”
Jackson then explained he has maintained a level of politeness with Collins after their often heated debates, but still criticized the congresswoman’s treatment of him.
“I’ve had four debates with Sen. Collins. I’ve shook her hand afterwards every time,” he said. “But what I’m not going to be is talked down to by Sen. Collins. I’m not going to be accused of things like that. I’m fighting for Mainers, and, I mean, I just think that was another situation where she was talking down to me. I’m not going to apologize for that.”
Bash also asked Jackson if he had any concerns about the debate incident in light of the frequent GOP attacks painting him as ill-tempered. In several Republican-funded ads, circumstances in which Jackson was allegedly rude to female colleagues in the state legislature, including ones in which he threw a water bottle and raised his voice.
“Some Republicans have been spending millions of dollars attacking me and my family, making untrue claims, things that they had to take off the air,” he said. “So it doesn’t surprise me that some Republicans would be making any claims.”
During the Thursday debate in which Jackson made the remark, Collins dismissed the idea that she talks down to her opponent. Jackson has vented frustration when she’s corrected his answers on the debate stage and has tried to portray her as out of touch.
MAINE SENATE DEBATE GETS TESTY AS TROY JACKSON TELLS COLLINS TO ‘SHUT UP’: TOP TAKEAWAYS
“Troy, I don’t look down on you or anyone,” Collins replied, stating that she had worked since she was 10 years old.
The Maine Senate race has emerged as a must-keep seat for Republicans in the midterm elections as Collins faces the toughest challenge of her tenure. A RealClearPolitics average of polling from Sept. 23 through Oct. 14 found Jackson held a slight edge over Collins with a less than 2-point lead.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
