{"id":729,"date":"2026-08-28T09:08:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frontierhousingreport.com\/?p=729"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:08:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T09:08:56","slug":"troy-jackson-is-looking-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frontierhousingreport.com\/?p=729","title":{"rendered":"Troy Jackson Is Looking Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Troy Jackson isn\u2019t trying to ignore the past, but he\u2019s focused on the future.<\/p>\n

After winning the primary, Graham Platner suspended his Senate campaign in July once he was accused of sexual assault. Through a lightning-round process of caucuses and a convention, Maine Democrats turned to Jackson. He\u2019s the Democratic nominee now, and as a former state Senate president and gubernatorial candidate, he feels prepared for the battle he\u2019s been pulled into.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Are We (and Were We) in Vietnam?<\/a><\/p>\n

Earning the nomination took a feat of organizing that showed Jackson\u2019s significant strength at the grassroots level. \u201cThis campaign is about a movement that I\u2019ve never seen before in Maine, and I\u2019ve been waiting a long time for something like this to happen,\u201d Jackson told the Prospect<\/em>.<\/p>\n

More from Thor Benson<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jackson said this campaign isn\u2019t about him but \u201ceveryday people\u201d standing up and demanding the government they deserve. He said he\u2019s been blown away by the amount of energy he\u2019s seeing in Maine, and he thinks people are ready to send longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins into retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of it\u2019s born out of frustration,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cPeople should have health care, prescription drug coverage, child care. I mean, in Maine, we\u2019re really in trouble with nursing home elder care. We\u2019ve lost about 40 percent of our nursing homes. Housing has become a major issue, and making sure that people have abortion access.\u201d<\/p>\n

The media has portrayed Jackson as a logical replacement for Platner, because he\u2019s from a working-class background and holds progressive values, which is how many saw Platner. Jackson is a fifth-generation logger, and for eight years he represented Maine Senate District 1, which covers the northern tip of the state. I grew up in Maine, and I can tell you that\u2019s a very conservative and rural district.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am from the same district that Susan Collins is from. That\u2019s where I\u2019ve been representing for years\u2014in an area that voted for Trump in the last three elections,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a 22-year career of fighting for all of these things in the state legislature. My background is right there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats have gotten excited about the prospect of defeating Collins before, such as in the 2020 race between Collins and former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon. Collins won that race by eight points. Jackson said things are different now.<\/p>\n

\u201c[People] know that the government\u2019s not working for them \u2026 They\u2019re frustrated,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe chose to do nothing but give in to the one percent and Trump. Voters just aren\u2019t stupid. They know exactly what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

A clear example of the bind Collins is in came this week, when Vice President JD Vance came to Maine to campaign. Collins decided not to show up to the event, a sign of just how unpopular Trump administration policies are in a Democratic-leaning state; Vance shouted her out for \u201cdoing a great job\u201d anyway.<\/p>\n

Jackson said Collins\u2019s decision to vote for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, her procedural vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and her refusal to truly stand up to Trump are some of the reasons Mainers want to defeat Collins. The latter two are connected; Collins voted no on the final passage of OBBBA, but she wasn\u2019t needed for that. She could have stopped it earlier in the process, but declined. These performative no votes that have no actual value and do not provide any meaningful check on the right-wing agenda are a hallmark of Collins\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Read more Anthropic (Re-)Enlists for War<\/a><\/p>\n

OBBBA funded ICE to the tune of $170 billion, cut Medicaid funding, and lowered taxes for the rich. All of those issues have become central to the Senate race. \u201cOur health care system is in crisis here in Maine. There\u2019s just no doubt about it,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWhat\u2019s the federal government\u2019s answer? We\u2019ll give Elon Musk more tax breaks. They don\u2019t care about everyday people.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard for Mainers to believe how ineffective Collins has been in the Senate in recent years, Jackson said, as she has quite a bit of power as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She\u2019s also been in Congress for decades and should know how to wield power. Yet the Trump administration has repeatedly defied appropriations laws by canceling grants and defunding agencies, with little more than expressions of concern from Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s supposed to be the most powerful U.S. senator in the whole place, as chair of Appropriations. People know. They understand the government better than she wants to believe,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cTo spend 30 years and get to that position to just give up all of your power to Donald Trump is just the most ridiculous thing in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

In terms of what Jackson would do as a senator should he be elected, he pointed to passing Medicare for All as a major focus. He says he\u2019d be a \u201cdog with a bone\u201d on that issue, as universal health care is something he\u2019s long supported.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth care is probably the most pressing reason why I ran for the legislature. That would be one of my biggest focuses,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI do believe that we should have Medicare for All. I believe everyone should have quality health insurance. It just makes people\u2019s lives so much easier, so much better and obviously so much healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labor issues are also central to Jackson\u2019s agenda, he said, and he believes he could end up being the most pro-labor senator in the country.<\/p>\n

As for who should lead the Senate if Democrats manage to take control of it in November, Jackson thinks it\u2019s time for a change. \u201cI don\u2019t support Sen. Schumer\u2019s leadership,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cI think it\u2019s time for new blood, new ideas. I don\u2019t know who else is running, but more than anything, I need to win this election. I\u2019ll figure that out afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re imagining Jackson as a folksy, kind man from rural Maine, that is also the feeling I got from him during our interview. When I told him I grew up in Maine, he eagerly asked what part I was from. If Democrats were looking for a working-class hero without a lot of baggage, they\u2019ve found it in Jackson. The polls show he currently has a narrow lead over Collins. Maybe this will be the year Collins\u2019s long reign finally comes to an end.<\/p>\n

Read more Mental Health Workers Say Algorithmic Triage Is Hurting Patients<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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