Maine's senate race frontrunners Sen. Susan Collins and Speaker Sara Gideon faced off in their first debate Fri. night..

Maine is a key state for Democrats in their bid to flip the Senate.; an Aug. AARP poll showed Gideon leading by 1pt.

National politics loomed large over the debate, and for good reason: Trump's disapproval rating in Maine is 68%. (Civiqs)

Collins attempted to distance herself from the presidential race and Trump. In 2016, Trump lost the state by 3+ pts. (NYT)

Collins is one of the Senate's most vulnerable Republicans: her popularity tanked after she voted to confirm Kavanaugh.(MC)

Biden could win Maine in a blowout this Nov.: an Aug. AARP poll showed Biden with a 14 pt lead over Trump.

Friday night's debate wasn't without its shenanigans: Independent candidate Max Linn repeatedly interrupted moderators.

Linn also repeatedly touted his "new converter website"— which just turned out to be his campaign website.

He also said this?

Linn refused to answer moderator questions during the one-hour debate. When asked to answer, he quipped, "Request denied."

Yeah, our reaction exactly.

Gideon criticized Collins for voting to pass a 2017 GOP tax bill that repealed the ACA's individual mandate. (PBS)

Collins and Gideon also clashed over overturning Citizens United—another Democratic priority if the Senate flips.

The 2010 SCOTUS decision paved the way for unlimited financial contributions to super PACs. (Vox)

That's it for this debate!