Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday defended her vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, even as she faced sharp criticism from her Democratic challenger in a debate that underscored the political tightrope she walks in a state that leans blue.
"I agree with him on some issues, I don't with others," Collins said of Kennedy, pointing to his help in expediting the release of a low-income nutrition program. But her support for the controversial vaccine skeptic has become a liability in her reelection bid against former state Sen. Troy Jackson.
Jackson, who has repeatedly hammered Collins for her loyalty to President Trump, seized on her record. A recent New York Times analysis found that when Collins breaks with Trump, her side prevails only 15% of the time. That statistic is a problem in Maine, where voters backed Kamala Harris by seven points in 2024 and where Collins has built her brand on independence.
During the debate, moderators pressed Collins to name a moment when her opposition to Trump actually changed an outcome. She cited her effort to organize senators against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation, but conceded it fell short.
"There are several examples of that. At one point, I had organized people to vote against Secretary Hegseth," Collins said. "At the very last minute, at the very last minute, one of our Republicans changed his mind."
"So that didn't change the outcome," the moderator replied.
Jackson pounced on the admission. "The reality is that 100 percent of the time, when Donald Trump needs her, Susan Collins is going to be there," he said.
Collins has also clashed with Kennedy over some of his actions at HHS, calling his firing of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel "excessive." She has also supported certain HHS cuts to HIV/AIDS vaccine funding, a position that puts her at odds with public health advocates.
The debate touched on other topics, including war funding and Trump ties, and featured heated moments, with Jackson telling Collins to "shut up" at one point. The exchange highlights the intensity of a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
Collins's defense of her Kennedy vote is unlikely to quell criticism from Democrats, who see her as a key vote who often caves to Trump pressure. But she continues to argue that her record reflects independent judgment, even if the outcomes don't always go her way.
