Overview
- During the final debate on Thursday, a protester interrupted and Sen. Susan Collins said the person was “obviously one of Troy’s supporters,” prompting Troy Jackson to reply, “Oh, shut up. I don’t even know that kid.”
- The protester was later identified as 19‑year‑old Bowdoin student Henry Elgie, the Sunrise Movement publicly acknowledged the action, and Elgie told reporters he had no coordination with Jackson’s campaign.
- Jackson told CNN on Sunday that he will not apologize and defended his reaction as a rejection of being talked down to, while Collins called the remark reflexive and highlighted past complaints about his temperament.
- Both campaigns moved to shore up late turnout: Collins secured cross‑party surrogates including Joe Manchin for events in Maine, and Jackson relies on progressive heavyweights and a large fundraising advantage to drive voters to the polls.
- The episode has fed intense negative ad buying and sharply divided media framing, but polls remain a statistical toss‑up and the race will likely be decided by small turnout swings in the closing days.