Collins Drops Hammer on Jackson Amid New Poll Showing Warning Signs for Democrat's Campaign

It's been just over a week since the "shut up" heard 'round the state of Maine, and the fallout continues for Democrat Senate nominee Troy Jackson.

As RedState reported, a hastily arranged Women for Troy event was held on Wednesday in the Pine Tree State to try to counter the self-inflicted campaign wounds, the "negative ads," and the backlash that has been stirred up in recent weeks. The goal was to reassure female (pro-abortion) voters that Jackson, whom the group endorsed at the gathering, was on their side.

The problem was that Jackson completely blew off the campaign event in favor of being elsewhere "on the campaign trail," leaving one of the group's more vocal attendees to look a little chippy when she was asked by a reporter where Jackson was that day. For those who missed it, watch:

Troy Jackson no-shows a "Women for Troy" event: https://t.co/nkbMGfbUen

— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) October 21, 2026

Incredibly, at the same get-together, we were reliably informed by former state senator Cathy Breen (D) that yes, though Jackson does indeed have a temper, it's done in a "non-gendered" way. He gets mad at women and men equally, according to Breen:

"Has Troy lost his temper now and then? Sure, so have I," Breen said. "I don't hold that against him. He doesn't lose his temper in a gendered way. He doesn't lose his temper with women any more than he loses his temper with men."

YIKES: Troy Jackson supporter confirms he has a temper problem. “Has Troy lost his temper now and then? Sure.” “He doesn't lose his temper in a gendered way. He doesn’t lose his temper with women any more than he loses his temper with men.” https://t.co/Pzag5JGvsw

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 22, 2026

Soooo, he allegedly throws water bottles at both men and women? Interesting.

Understandably, since Democrats have made this race about Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) supposedly being the "anti-woman" candidate over Jackson and disgraced fellow alleged domestic abuser Graham Platner (the former Democrat nominee), the Collins campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) are holding Democrats to the standards they expect Republicans to abide by, and are hammering Jackson over the shutuppery that he refuses to apologize for.

Here's the ad Collins and the NRSC dropped this week, pointing not just to the infamous debate moment but also to other situations where he's reportedly shown open hostility toward women, including another debate and the incident involving Jackson allegedly throwing a water bottle at a female state lawmaker who had the nerve to disagree with him on policy when he was state senate president.

At the end, Collins and the NRSC went for the finishing move, showing Jackson and Platner doing some bromance posing, standing shoulder to shoulder at a campaign rally, pointing at each other:

#MaineSenate AdImpact: Susan Collins and the NRSC release ad in response to Jackson telling her to “shut up.”. https://t.co/ErliX15GwN

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) October 23, 2026

The ad comes amid fresh polling from Fox News that shows the all-important race tied at 49-49, with it looking like independents are breaking towards Collins down the home stretch:

FOX News Poll: MAINE SENATE RACE Jackson (D) Collins (R) Democrats 92% 7% Republicans 4% 95% Independents 38% 51% October 16-20, 2026

— Wyatt Dobrovich (@WyattDobrovich) October 22, 2026

Maine Wire editor-in-chief Steve Robinson had thoughts:

If independents break 51-38 for Collins… That’s the ballgame. If they broke 51-48 for Collins, she’d likely win. Jackson needs roughly half of independents (maybe a little less if you factor in the Somali votes and the 8-1 UOCAVA airdrop that Shenna Bellows will deliver).

— Steve Robinson (@SteveRob) October 23, 2026

We'll soon find out.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. The Maine Senate race is crucial. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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