Maine Democrat Troy Jackson acknowledged accepting campaign donations from billionaires during Thursday’s Senate debate after Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) challenged him over his promises to reject billionaire and corporate PAC money.

Collins pressed Jackson about advertisements she said his campaign was running with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), arguing that he was benefiting from the same sources of money he had pledged to turn away.

“You’ve also said that you would take no money from billionaires. That’s not accurate. You’ve also said that you would not take any corporate PAC money. That’s not accurate,” she said. “So how can you stand here when you have ads that are financed in part by the DSCC and have your disclaimer on them saying, ‘I’m Troy Jackson, and I approve this message,’ and tell us that you’re not benefiting from corporate PAC money and from billionaires?”

Jackson initially said the ads were made without his approval. When Collins challenged that explanation, pointing to advertisements carrying his campaign’s approval statement, he acknowledged having billionaire donors but said their contributions would not influence his votes.

“I don’t make those decisions. I mean that would be illegal for me to make those decisions, so I have no knowledge of those ads. Who’s paying for anything like that? I know what’s in my campaign,” Jackson responded. “As far as the billionaires that I might have on my campaign, that is accurate. But I haven’t made any deals like Senator Collins has with those billionaires. I don’t owe them any votes.”

The DSCC has received contributions from billionaire financier George Soros and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL). Pritzker gave the committee $310,000 in June 2025, according to FEC records, while Business Insider reported that Soros contributed just under $1 million combined to the DSCC and DCCC this election cycle.