Maine Senate Rivals Clash Over War And Stocks

Debate stage with four empty podiums and bright red and blue backdrop — Photo: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

A Maine Senate debate turned into a shouting match when Democrat Troy Jackson accused Republican Senator Susan Collins of personally cashing in on the Iran war, and Collins fired back on live television demanding he take it back.

Story Snapshot

Troy Jackson accused Senator Susan Collins and her husband of profiting from the Iran war during Thursday’s televised debate.
Collins called the claim “absolutely outrageous” and demanded an apology on camera.
Jackson pointed to Collins’s reported oil and gas stock holdings as proof she lacked motive to end the war.
Collins countered that she voted nine times to end the conflict and helped secure cheaper crude oil supplies.
Fact-checkers found both candidates’ vote-count claims technically accurate, depending on which measures they counted.

Accusation Erupts During Second Debate

The clash happened during the candidates’ second televised face-off, a debate already tense over inflation and energy prices. Jackson told Collins she “could use her leverage to stop this war, but instead they’re making money,” adding that “Senator Collins and her husband are making money, more, off of this war, and so is a whole bunch of other people”. He offered no documents or evidence on stage to back the claim.

Jackson’s campaign had posted on social media during the debate that Collins and her husband “hold up to $100,000 in oil and gas stock,” framing her investments as the reason the war has dragged on. The specific dollar claim did not come up verbally in the debate exchange itself, but it shaped the accusation Jackson leveled at Collins in real time.

Collins Demands an Apology on Camera

Collins responded immediately and sharply. “That is absolutely outrageous, and you owe me an apology,” she told Jackson, repeating the phrase “absolutely outrageous” to describe the profiteering claim about her and her husband. She said she had “voted nine times to bring the war in Iran to an end” and that she had worked to secure 50 million barrels of crude oil to help lower energy costs for Mainers.

What the Financial Record Actually Shows

Collins’s 2025 financial disclosure lists her husband, longtime political strategist Thomas Daffron, as owning stock in defense contractors Boeing and RTX. One news outlet reviewing the filing found “no direct line to the war” connecting those specific holdings to the Iran conflict. That detail complicates Jackson’s framing, since the stocks most directly tied to his accusation were described as oil and natural gas investments rather than defense holdings.

A separate fact-check outlet confirmed Jackson did accuse Collins of profiting from the war and that she called the allegation outrageous and demanded an apology, without resolving the underlying financial question either way.

Dueling Vote Counts Both Hold Up

Jackson also claimed Collins voted five times against ending the Iran war, while Collins insisted her number was nine. A nonpartisan review found both figures were technically correct, because they counted different war-powers resolutions at different stages of the conflict. Collins initially opposed early resolutions, citing War Powers Act language that gives presidents a 60-day window to wage war without congressional approval, then began backing efforts to end the war once that window closed.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson squared off Thursday in the second Maine Senate debate of the week, sparring over the Iran war. pic.twitter.com/EbsM3hgDtb

— KAMC News (@KAMCNews) October 9, 2026

That nuance matters because it shows the fight wasn’t simply about who is telling the truth. It was about which votes counted and when, a distinction easy to lose in a 30-second debate exchange but important for voters trying to judge either candidate’s actual record on the war.

A Pattern Beyond This One Race

This exchange fits a broader trend voters already distrust: lawmakers and their spouses holding stock in industries their committees oversee. A 2022 analysis found at least 97 members of Congress reported trades that intersected with their official work, and separate reviews have flagged dozens more for disclosure violations tied to a federal conflict-of-interest law. Collins chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, giving her direct influence over war funding decisions, which is precisely why Jackson’s accusation, even unproven, resonated with an electorate already skeptical that officials in Washington put public interest ahead of personal gain.

Neither candidate’s campaign has released additional financial records since the debate to settle the dispute further. The exchange, broadcast statewide days before Maine voters head to the polls, has already become one of the most replayed moments of the 2026 Senate race, a sign of how deeply allegations of war profiteering cut across party lines this election cycle.