Read CNN’stakeaways on the Senate debates in Maine, Georgia and Iowa here.
• Epstein impact:A testy back-and-forth betweenDemocratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and his Republican opponent, Rep. Mike Collins, over Jeffrey Epstein illustrated how the late financier’s crimes continue to roil American politics.The debatewas one of three showdowns in pivotal Senate races Tuesday night.
• Keeping tabs:In their Iowa Senate debate, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek called each other out for what they didn’t do. Hinsonrepeatedly lambasted Turekfor missing over 50% of the Iowa House’s floor votes in the most recent legislative session, and Turek criticized Hinson for not holding in-person town halls.
• Stance on war:In Maine, GOP Sen. Susan Collinsdistanced herself further from President Donald Trumpin her debate against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, saying the president “did not have a good plan” on Iran.
• Spotlight on Lone Star State:Meanwhile,James Talarico has Democrats dreaming big in Texas, where CNN’s Jeff Zeleny is reporting on the hotly contested Senate race. On Wednesday, CNN and Jubilee Media will host a town hall withthe Democratic nominee. Stream with anAll Access subscription.
On two of the biggest foreign policy crises confronting Trump as the midterms approach — Russia’s war with Ukraine and the United States’ war with Iran — Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson distanced herself from Trump.
At Tuesday night’s Senate race debate she criticizedTrump’s dealwith Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply markets with diesel fuel in a bid to lower prices that both candidates said are hurting Iowa farmers.
“We need to lower diesel prices, but I don’t think we need to be making a deal with Russia to do it,” she said.
Hinson also pointed to a 2022 congressional ban on energy imports from Russia, a measure intended to punish the Russian economy over Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
“I am proud to have voted for sanctions against Russia,” she said. “I’m banned from Russia because of my stance on being tough on them and supporting Ukraine, and we cannot allow Vladimir Putin to win that war.”
She also said Trump’s war with Iran “does need to come to a resolute and successful end as quickly as possible.” However, Hinson balked when asked whether she would again vote against a war powers resolution that would halt Trump’s ability to continue military action against Iran without the approval of Congress.
“I don’t think we need another resolution on the House floor. I think the president and the US military can bring it to the end,” she said.
Those breaks with Trump were notable in a debate in which Trump played a minor role — a reality owing to both Hinson’s awareness of the president’s sagging popularity and Turek’s need to win over a share of voters who backed Trump in the 2024 election.
