Meet U.S. Senate Candidate
Troy Jackson
Maine
Challenger
Why This Race Matters
Defeating five-term Senator Susan Collins is the best opportunity Democrats have to flip a Republican Senate seat this cycle. With a narrow path to take back the Senate in November, it will be difficult but not impossible to do this without flipping the Maine seat.
The good news is that Maine still provides an opportunity in a post-Platner world.
Maine is a moderately blue state. Trump failed to win Maine in any of his three presidential campaigns and the state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1992. Harris carried it by seven points in ‘24 and Democrats currently control the governorship, the state legislature, and both seats in the US House of Representatives.
But Collins is a formidable candidate seeking a sixth term. Over the decades, she has deftly positioned herself as a moderate centrist - and a reliable Republican. She has backed Trump on key issues including SOTUS appointments and voting in support of his policies 96% of the time but she was one of a few Republican senators voting to hold him accountable for the January 6th insurrection. While age and her ties to an unpopular president don’t bode well for Collins, she is a skilled campaigner with a statewide base and a mature political organization.
Collins has and will likely continue to have a substantial cash advantage over Jackson in the remaining months before the midterms. In 2020, in a race many thought would be more competitive, she defeated Sara Gideon by 8.6 points though Gideon raised more money (Collins: $23 million, Gideon: $48 million.) Republican super-PACs have reportedly pledged $113M to the current Collins campaign. At this point, $60 million in ads has already been reserved on her behalf.
In contrast, DSCC and its PAC affiliates have currently allocated some $24 million for ads. The Jackson campaign estimates it will need $40 to $50 million to be minimally competitive. The campaign and the DSCC will need to quickly nationalize fundraising efforts.
Ratings post Platner- as of 7/25 : Cook and Sabato - Toss-up, Inside Elections - Tilt Republican. It is reasonable to conclude that despite Jackson’s sizable funding shortfall and the brief chaos surrounding Platner’s meltdown, Maine remains in play for Democrats.
Background + Experience
Jackson was born in Fort Kent, Maine and currently lives in the tiny, remote town of Allagash in northern Maine. He describes himself as a 5th-generation working class logger “who knows what it's like to work 80-hour weeks just to make ends meet.”
He has an A.A. in Business from the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
Jackson has what Inside Politics in its current newsletter identifies as “authentically working class bonafides.”
His logging career included a commitment to activist, direct action tactics (blockages, numerous complaints filed to the US Department of Labor) against the interests of industrial timber owners. Such activism was Jackson’s initial foray into politics leading to an unsuccessful run for the state legislature as a Republican in 2000.
In 2002 he was elected to the Maine House of Representatives as an Independent. He switched to the Democratic party in 2004 ultimately serving three terms in the House. Jackson was elected to the State Senate in ‘08 becoming Minority Leader in ‘16 and Majority Leader and Senate President in ‘18. He had unsuccessful runs for the US House in 2014 and for Maine governor in 2026.
On the Issues
Troy's priorities:
Jackson’s political views are encapsulated in three statements he made on 7/25 upon his acceptance of the Senate nomination:
- “If you have ever been ignored, underestimated, pushed around, or told you have to wait your turn while the rich cut in line, I’m asking you to stand with us in this campaign.”
- “When the people in power refuse to listen, you have to organize, you have to stand in solidarity, together. And you have to make them listen.”
- “We’re not from the left; we’re not from the right. We’re from the bottom and we are rising.”
In this vein, these priority issues are included identified on his campaign website:
- Pass Medicare for All
- Lower the cost of prescription drugs
- Tax the billionaires and make sure greedy corporations pay their fair share
- Deliver tax cuts for the working class
- Dismantle and abolish ICE
- Pass a federal right to abortion
- End the genocide in Gaza. No US Tax dollars to Israel’s military
- Protect the right to vote and organize
- Pass comprehensive civil rights legislation protecting the LGBTQ+ community
- Ban members of Congress from trading stock
- Overturn Citizens United and get dark money out of politics
“I didn’t get involved in politics because I wanted the title. I got involved because the people that I worked beside were getting screwed, and nobody, no one in power, seemed to care.”