The Issue Which Could Cost Susan Collins Her U.S. Senate Seat vs. Troy Jackson

Over the weekend, Maine Democrats nominated Troy Jackson, a former President of the Maine Senate, to replace Graham Platner as their standard bearer in the U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent. 

Earlier this year, Jackson had sought his party's nomination in the Maine gubernatorial race but finished a distant third behind Hannah Pingree, a former Speaker of the Maine State Legislature.

Frankly, I don't care much for Jackson. Earlier this month, Jackson claimed, "Anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza."

Somehow, I doubt Jackson could find Gaza on a map. He is just going with wherever the wind is breaking. In so doing, he is fanning the flames of anti-Semitism. If I were a resident of Maine, I would support Collins.

With that said, I do not underestimate Jackson's chances against Collins.

For starters, Jackson doesn't sport a Nazi tattoo, nor has he been accused of committing rape. Jackson has been known to lose his temper in public but unless he repeats that behavior, I doubt most voters will hold that against him.

The one issue where I think Jackson has an advantage over Collins is on the question of ICE. The fact that ICE executed a man who wasn't even their target in broad daylight on the streets of smalltown Maine isn't going to help Collins given her vote for ICE funding.

Worse still is the man responsible for this heinous act has a long history of severe mental illness and violent behavior. So not only did Collins vote for ICE funding but that funding hired a man who was bound to kill someone. It also must be said that the perpetrator has not been and is unlikely to be charged for his actions. That is going to stick in the craw of a lot of voters, and those voters will support Jackson.

Collins and Jackson are going to debate, and Collins is going to have explain herself as to how she can justify voting to fund ICE if it results in people being shot to death on the streets of Maine. She'll try but I don't think Maine voters are going to buy it.

Unless Jackson loses his temper in public and makes himself the issue, the cold-blooded murder of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero could very well be what ends her career in the U.S. Senate.