Jackson doesn’t regret telling Collins to ‘shut up’ after protester interrupted Maine Senate debate

"She said that it was a Troy supporter. I had no idea who it was," Jackson said. WASHINGTON (AP) — Maine Democrat Troy Jackson says he does not regret telling Sen.

Susan Collins that she should “shut up” after the Republican suggested a protester who interrupted their recent debate was one of his campaign's backers. I had no idea who it was,” said Jackson, a former president of the state Senate who is trying to deny Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman in Senate history, a sixth-term. He spoke in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” that aired Sunday.

During their final debate Thursday night in the closely contested race, as the Nov. 3 election nears a protester opposing data centers began yelling as Collins spoke. While moderators asked for that person to be removed, the senator said the demonstrator was “obviously one of Troy’s supporters.” Jackson responded: “Oh, shut up.

I don’t even know that kid.” The Sunrise Movement group posted on its Instagram page that the outburst came from one of its members. In a caption of an Instagram post, the group’s page said: “We’re proud of this Sunrise volunteer who took action yesterday.” The New York Times said the protester, Henry Elgie, a 19-year-old student at Bowdoin College in Maine, told the newspaper in an interview Saturday that he had “zero coordination” with Jackson’s campaign. “I do not know Troy Jackson personally or at all,” he was quoted as saying.

The Sunrise Movement is a left-wing political advocacy organization that champions the Green New Deal, aimed at transitioning the U.S. The group, which has local arms around the country, regularly organizes protests, sit-ins and climate strikes. Jackson told CNN that he shook hands with Collins after each of their debates.

“But what I’m not going to be is talked down to by Sen. He added: “I’m fighting for Mainers and I just think that was another situation where she was talking down to me and I’m not going to apologize for that.” Collins told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Friday that she was “struck by how reflective the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was.” Collins said “the fact that it seemed like such an automatic, quick reply was very telling.” She cited what she said was “the reputation” that Jackson had in the Legislature “particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees. He spoke in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” that aired Sunday.During their final debate Thursday night in the closely contested race, as the Nov.