LET THEM EAT ROAD SALT – Collins Slammed for Marie Antoinette Moments in Maine Senate Debate That Could Have “Real Consequences at the Ballot Box”

Susan Collins: “I spent a year, when I was running for governor in 1994, where I could not afford health insurance”

Midcoast Villager’s Alex Seitz-Wald: “Maybe not the most relatable way to say you understand struggling to afford health insurance”

MS NOW’s Molly Jong-Fast: “32 years ago, Senator Collins didn’t have health insurance for a year and I guess it left an impression on her”

Meidas Touch News: “Susan Collins tried to brag about having road salt removed from Trump’s tariff list, and Jackson asked what else she had to done to help the state’s economy, because Mainers ‘can’t eat road salt’”

Bangor Daily News: “On the eighth anniversary of her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins refused to say she regretted it in her first debate with Democrat Troy Jackson”

In her first debate with Maine Democratic Senate Nominee Troy Jackson, Susan Collins was forced to defend her toxic, price-spiking record that includes having voted with Trump 96% of the time, her “key” and “pivotal” vote to advance the Republican plan that gutted Medicaid and ripped health insurance away from Mainers, her decisive vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and her role as a “willing participant” and the “most important patron” at the center of a “vile, outright bribery pay-for-play” corruption scheme.

“Vulnerable” Collins was roundly criticized and “roasted” for her “entitled” attitude and “devastating” performance, which included a “rough moment” when she tried to relate to Mainers struggling from Collins-enabled health care cuts by stating that she “didn’t have health insurance for one whole year in 1994.” 

Later, in an exchange that “could have real consequences at the ballot box,” Collins also “tried to brag about having road salt removed from Trump’s tariff list,” but was rebuffed by Jackson, who argued that Trump’s tariffs have raised the cost of everything and that Mainers “can’t eat road salt” – “the kind of line that could genuinely sway an election.” 

See for yourself:

Daily Beast: Must-Win Republican Senator Roasted for Bonkers Debate Answer

• Republican Sen. Susan Collins has been roasted after making an unintentionally entitled remark during a debate.
• The 73-year-old, a vulnerable five-term senator from Maine, took part in the first of four Senate debates with her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, 58, on Tuesday night.
• In one moment, the debate saw Jackson press Collins on dwindling rural healthcare access in the state, and her role in casting a key vote to allow Donald Trump’s divisive “Big Beautiful Bill” to move forward in the Senate, leading to Medicaid cuts and increased healthcare costs.
• Jackson then pointed out that Collins “has been a government employee her entire life, she’s always had healthcare, she’s always had a steady income coming in. That’s not the way it is for most of us; healthcare is a real challenge and she’s made it worse by advancing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’”
• Calling out the high costs of accessing healthcare, Jackson added, “That is what Senator Collins wants to keep going: big health insurance, Big Pharma. They can make all the money, it’s about greed.”
• After his comments, Collins waved her finger to correct Jackson, saying, “First of all, I have not been insured my whole life.”
• She then stated, “I spent a year, when I was running for governor in 1994, where I could not afford health insurance. So Troy, you’re just out-and-out wrong on that.”
• Jackson pulled a quizzical expression on his face after Collins’ remarks.
• Collins ultimately lost her 1994 bid for governor of Maine, coming in third. She became a senator in 1996.
• Collins, whose base salary is $174,000 per year, was swiftly roasted online for her out-of-touch comment.
• MediasTouch called it “a rough moment for Collins.”
• Maine journalist Alex Seitz-Wald said on X that mentioning her brief lack of insurance 32 years ago was, “Maybe not the most relatable way to say you understand struggling to afford health insurance.”
• “Oh wow poor Susan Collins didn’t have health insurance for ONE year…..in 1994,” the political and cultural commentary account Wu Tang is for the Children posted on X.
• Another social media user posted, “Please spare a thought for Susan Collins who didn’t have health insurance for one whole year in 1994.”

Meidas Touch News: Susan Collins Brags About Ending Tariffs on Road Salt, Troy Jackson Responds: ‘We Can’t Eat Road Salt’

• There was a great moment during the Maine Senate candidate debate on Tuesday evening between incumbent five-term Republican Susan Collins and Democratic candidate Troy Jackson. Susan Collins tried to brag about having road salt removed from Trump’s tariff list, and Jackson asked what else she had to done to help the state’s economy, because Mainers “can’t eat road salt.”
•  ”Troy mocked it, but I was successful in getting concrete, pulp, and road salt removed from the tariff list,” Collins said.
•  ”I didn’t mock the fact that she got road salt back,” Jackson responded. “I mocked the fact that what about everything else? I mean, we, we can’t eat road salt. And, and the thing about it is, is that everything that she’s doing with Iran war and stuff like that, there’s gonna be so many less people that’ll be able to afford to drive, that I’m not even sure the road salt’s gonna be worth anything either.”

MS NOW: Jackson presses Collins on Kavanaugh: ‘What will it take for you to admit you were wrong?’

• Jackson repeatedly hit Collins on her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice […] “What will it take for you to admit that you were wrong?” Jackson asked when given a chance by moderators to ask any question of the senator.
• Asked whether she believed Kavanaugh “lied” to her about his abortion rights stance when she was considering his confirmation, she did not go that far.
• “I do not feel that he lied […]” she said.
• From the opening statement, Jackson has centered his critique of Collins on the Republican’s vote in 2018 to confirm Kavanaugh and the ensuing impact of the court’s conservative bloc ending decades of federal abortion protections almost four years later.
• “Tonight is about who you stand with when it matters. Eight years ago today, Maine women went to D.C. and begged Sen. Collins not to confirm Brett Kavanaugh,” Jackson said. “But she did it anyways. Even though they begged her. He helped overturn Roe vs. Wade, and today she says she has no regrets, and I would wonder for everyone, including myself, would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court justice?”
• The 2026 contest for Collins represents her first election since the high court’s 2022 decision.

MS NOW: Jackson targets Collins over Trump ties and ‘big, beautiful bill’

• Jackson sought to tie Collins to Trump tonight, arguing that her support for advancing his signature tax and spending bill helped fuel affordability pressures in Maine.
• Jackson accused Collins of voting with Trump “96% of the time” and criticized her procedural vote to advance H.R. 1, more widely known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Collins ultimately voted against final passage.
• “Senator Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out,” Jackson said.
• Collins had voted with Republicans to advance the legislation to the Senate floor, allowing debate on the measure to begin. The bill later passed the Senate 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie.
• Jackson also criticized Collins over Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war, arguing that both have contributed to higher costs in Maine.

Raw Story: ‘Devastating’: Glee erupts as Susan Collins’ ‘road salt’ boast blows up in her face

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) bragged about a road salt win at a Maine Senate debate, and her challenger’s comeback had observers cheering.
• On Tuesday, Collins faced Democratic challenger Troy Jackson in a debate weeks before the midterms. Asked what she would do about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Collins pointed to a specific victory.
• “I was successful at getting road salt removed from the tariff list,” Collins said. Jackson responded by pouncing on the answer.
• “What about everything else? We can’t eat road salt,” Jackson said. “With everything she’s doing with the Iran war, there will be so many less people that can afford to drive that I’m not even sure the road salt will be worth anything.”
• The exchange spread quickly after clips of the moment were posted, with many users zeroing in on Jackson’s five-word retort.
• “‘We can’t eat road salt’ is devastating,” wrote Democratic political strategist Chris Sosa in a post on X.
• “I must report: ‘You can’t eat road salt’ is a bar,” laughed Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, referring to the term for a line of rap.
• Others compared Collins’ answer to the infamous line attributed to Marie Antoinette.
• “Susan Collins’ amazing let-them-eat-road-salt moment,” declared journalist and political commentator David Sirota.
• “‘Let them eat road salt.’—Susan Collins, basically,” remarked disinformation expert and Kash Patel foe Jim Stewartson.
• Social media personality and liberal political commentator Brian Krassenstein marveled how “Troy Jackson just destroyed Susan Collins in 4 seconds.”
• Some suggested the moment could have real consequences at the ballot box.
• “‘We can’t eat road salt’ is the kind of line that could genuinely sway an election,” warned policy consultant and journalist Adam Cochran. “Team Jackson has to be very happy with that soundbite.”
• Author and activist Hemant Mehta framed the race around the exchange.
• “If cheaper road salt is what you want, vote Collins,” he wrote. “If you want better health care and a real check on Trump and the Supreme Court, vote Jackson.”

See also: DSCC: ICYMI: “It’s Maine’s turn to be concerned about Susan Collins” [Portland Press Herald Editorial Board]; DSCC: WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Voters “Reconsider” Support for Susan Collins Following Involvement in “Vile, Outright Bribery Pay-for-Play” Corruption Scheme; DSCC: BREAKING: “The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way” [ProPublica]; DSCC: ICYMI: Democratic Voters Who Used to Back Susan Collins Aren’t So Sure Anymore [Washington Post]; DSCC: QUICK CLIP: Conservative Radio Host Says Susan Collins Only Plans to Vote Against Blanche Nomination Because “He’s Already Got The Votes”; DSCC: ICYMI: New Poll Suggests Tougher Environment for Susan Collins than 2020 [Bangor Daily News]