Dive into Senior Planet’s podcast Aging Rewired for conversations about technology and aging. Listen here.

Content starts here

2026 U.S. Senate Candidates in Maine Address the Issues

Susan Collins (R) and Troy Jackson (D) talk family caregiving, fraud prevention, Social Security, Medicare and aging in place.

Carina Storrs,

AARP

Published September 01, 2026

Getty Images

Maine voters will head to the polls Nov. 3 to choose between incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) and challenger Troy Jackson (D), former state Senate president, in a race that may determine which party controls the next U.S. Senate.

Collins, first elected in 1996, is seeking a sixth term. Jackson, who was selected through a special convention after previous nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race, served three terms in the Maine House of Representatives and seven terms in the Maine Senate, leading the chamber from 2018 to 2024.

More Ways to Benefit

View All

Related Benefit 1
Related Benefit 2
Related Benefit 3
Related Benefit 4
Related Benefit 5

In July, the Bulletin asked each candidate about issues important to older Mainers. Responses were edited for clarity and brevity.

Older adults say they want to remain in their homes and communities as they age. What steps can be taken to expand housing, transportation and access to home care — especially in rural areas — to help them live independently?

JACKSON: The state and certainly the federal government can do so much more.

The University of Maine [has] the ability to do 3D-printed homes. The way I looked at them, they were good starter homes. They were good for people that wanted to downsize or maybe that didn’t have any home at all. We can create communities or just individual settings all across Maine, especially in rural Maine, to help people with housing like that. The other thing that we need to do more of is make sure that more people have in-home services, so that they can stay and live independently.

COLLINS: One program which I authored several years ago, but we always need to fund it and extend it each year ... is an aging-in-place program. It provides grants to states so that they can help older adults remain in their homes by doing some modifications.... That might mean a wheelchair ramp.

I was behind the $50 billion investment in rural health care that provided $190 million in first-year funding for the state of Maine that was included in the reconciliation bill last year. I didn’t vote for that bill because of the cuts in Medicaid, but I was successful in getting the Rural Healthcare Transformation Program funded ... and that’s going to be the difference between survival and closure for rural hospitals.

Most Popular

Americans pay into Medicare throughout their lives — in taxes and premiums — and it provides them with vital health coverage. If (re)elected, what would you do to strengthen and protect Medicare?

COLLINS: That very much is linked to the work that I’ve done to preserve Maine’s rural hospitals.... If you are receiving Medicare, you need to be assured that you have access to health care in your community or at least close by. This year, I’ve introduced the ASAP [Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention] bill, which would require that CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] cover a new blood test that identifies a biomarker for diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, making sure that Medicare continues to pay for telemedicine visits.

JACKSON: People [who have paid into] Medicare should get 100 percent health care. Not some here, some there, some things aren’t covered. It should cover everything. I’m not a bit worried about being able to pay for it. We pay for all kinds of things in this country that [don’t] help Americans at all. I’d like to put that money into having a health care program for seniors that works. I just hear complaints about, “It didn’t cover this, or it didn’t cover that, or I didn’t have Medicare Part B.” There shouldn’t be any holes.

If (re)elected, how would you work to protect and strengthen Social Security for older Americans, their children and grandchildren?

JACKSON: I think the number one thing is scrapping the [wage] cap. I just don’t understand why wealthy people don’t pay past [the $184,500] of earnings. We obviously have challenges with Social Security being solvent, and the best way for it to be solvent so that we could raise benefits ... [is] for wealthy people to pay their fair share.

COLLINS: [I led the effort to pass the] Social Security Fairness Act.... It restored whole earned Social Security benefits for retired teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other public servants.... We should have a bipartisan commission established that could look at the [Social Security Trust Fund] and evaluate ways of strengthening it.

If (re)elected, how would you help family caregivers save money and time so they can continue caring for their loved ones?

COLLINS: I know from my own family’s experience, with my mother ... taking care of my father for many years when he had Alzheimer’s disease, how difficult it is for the caregiver. And one reason that it’s so difficult is it’s 24/7. So along with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), I introduced the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act [passed in February], which extends a program through fiscal year 2030 to provide short-term care for a loved one so that a family caregiver can take a much-needed break. The other part is the financial aspect of caregiving.... I have [cosponsored] two bipartisan bills with [Sen.] Mark Warner (D-Virginia). One would allow for catch-up contributions to Social Security, so that a worker who takes time off from work to take care of, say, a parent with Alzheimer’s disease, would not lose their retirement benefits. [The other would] allow family caregivers to continue contributing to a Roth IRA, even if they’re not earning income at the time.

JACKSON: We have some programs to help pay family caregivers. I don’t think we pay them enough. It’s obviously cheaper to have somebody from the family ... give the care. But people need to be able to make a living, pay their bills, if they’re giving that care, and raising those wages would be one [way to help]. Lowering prescription drug [prices] across the board for all of us [and] possibly allowing people that are doing the caregiving to have health insurance provided, so that, again, they can afford to do it. I believe everybody should have universal health care, but we don’t have that right now. But there’s no reason why—if somebody giving that care, keeping people out of nursing homes—we couldn’t do more to raise their wages and give them better benefits so that they could afford to do that.

Join Our Fight to Make Sure Your Vote Counts

AARP is a nonpartisan organization that never supports or opposes candidates for office. We believe the right to vote is fundamental, and we advocate for policies ensuring that Americans 50 and older can exercise that right without unnecessary barriers. Here’s what you can do to help:

Learn more about voting in your state this year.
Pledge to vote for candidates in 2026 who will protect and strengthen Social Security and support family caregivers.
Sign up to become an AARP activist for the latest news and alerts on issues you care about.
AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today.

Carina Storrs writes about aging, fraud, health policy, infectious disease and other issues. She has written for the Bulletin since 2023.

AARP Membership

Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Join