Troy Jackson Doubles Down, Doesn’t Regret Telling Susan Collins To ‘Shut Up’

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson doubled down on Sunday, saying that he did not regret telling incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to “shut up” during their most recent debate.

Speaking to CNN anchor Dana Bash on Sunday’s broadcast of “State of the Union,” Jackson claimed that he did not regret his reaction because he’d felt like Collins was “talking down” to him at the time when she suggested a protester at the debate had been one of his supporters.

“This week there was a protester at the debate that you had with Susan Collins,” Bash began. “She responded by saying, ‘This must be a Troy Jackson supporter,’ and you told the senator, ‘Shut up.’ Do you regret saying that?”

“Ah, no, you know she said that it was a Troy supporter, she accused me of setting that up. I had no idea who it was, I was surprised whenever he jumped up out of there,” he said, claiming that Collins had accused him of setting up the disruption rather than simply suggesting the protester was likely a supporter of his.

Jackson went on to say that he and Collins had kept things civil in their earlier debates, but that he was not going to sit quietly while she condescended to him.

“What I’m not gonna be is, you know, talked down to by Senator Collins,” he said. “I’m not going to be accused of things like that … so I’m not going to apologize for that, no.”

The New York Times reported on the scene that played out, noting that the 19-year-old protester had yelled something about data centers during the debate.

“This is obviously one of Troy’s supporters,”Collins quipped at the time — but did not, as he’d claimed, suggest that Jackson had a hand in planning the disruption.

“Oh, shut up. I did not — I didn’t — I don’t even know that kid,” Jackson shot back.

The protester, identified as Henry Elgie, confirmed Collins’ suspicions and said that he planned to vote for Jackson — but also said that there had been “zero coordination” with Jackson’s campaign prior to his interruption.

Collins argued that Jackson’s harsh response — to what should have been a throwaway quip at the debate — was indicative of his overall demeanor and the way he treated women in particular.

“I was struck by how reflexive the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was,” Ms. Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman in Senate history, told Fox News, saying that it was “very telling” that it had “seemed like such an automatic, quick reply was very telling.”

Collins also said that Jackson, who had previously served as the state Senate president, has a “reputation” for similarly abrasive remarks, “particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees.”

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