Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) drew laughs from a CNN political panel on Wednesday after insisting she would not discuss a personal detail about her Democratic opponent — before blurting it out anyway.
The moment came during Collins’ interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin, who asked whether the personal life of Maine Democratic candidate Troy Jackson should be considered fair game in their Senate race.
“Well, I’m not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his two children is his second cousin," Collins replied. “I don’t know whether people know that or not.”
“I think you just mentioned it,” Martin quickly pointed out.
“Well, in Aroostook County, you know,” Collins said.
The clip drew immediate laughter on the CNN set of “Inside Politics with Dana Bash.”
“But I’m not going to bring that up,” Bash joked Wednesday. “The thing that I’m going to say — something I’m not going to bring up.”
“That was so well crafted,” CNN political director David Chalian added, chuckling.
Chalian said that Collins “clearly didn’t mind talking about it,” even as she tried to suggest it would not become “a centerpiece of her campaign.”
But he doubted that Jackson’s relationship would decide the race, instead suggesting that Collins's relationship with President Donald Trump would likely matter more to Maine voters.
“And how she navigates being a Republican running for reelection in this environment from a state that was not hospitable to Donald Trump in any of the times he ran for office,” he said.
“She’s using what she can,” Bash concluded, “given the fact that Troy Jackson is a local politician and elected official.”
