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Troy Jackson secures delegate backing for Democratic Senate nomination in Maine
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has all but secured the Democratic Senate nomination at the state convention. He will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.
Democratic Party delegates in Maine voted over the weekend to choose the candidate who will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November. Former Senate President Troy Jackson won a large majority of the 500 seats in delegate elections across the state's 16 counties, gaining a decisive advantage in the nomination race.
This victory will all but secure the Democratic Senate nomination for Jackson at the state convention in Bangor next weekend. The race is to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew amid sexual assault allegations.
A seasoned Maine politician
Troy Jackson was born in the town of Allagash in northern Maine as a fifth-generation logger. He began his political career nearly thirty years ago by protesting the entry of Canadian loggers into the United States.
Jackson ran as a Republican in 2000, and two years later was elected to the Maine House of Representatives as an independent. He joined the Democratic Party in 2004 and entered the state Senate in 2008. He became Senate President in 2018 after Democrats won the majority.
Jackson now strongly supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. However, until 2010 he had received a perfect score from an anti-abortion group, and in 2009 he voted against legalizing same-sex marriage. He attributes that stance to his Catholic upbringing in rural Maine.
Gubernatorial race and progressive backing
Jackson entered the gubernatorial race last year to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Janet Mills. Campaigning on a platform of expanding healthcare and childcare, he received the endorsement of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. However, he finished third in the Democratic primary under the ranked-choice voting system and lost the race.
Jackson advocates for higher taxes on billionaires like Platner, a "Medicare for All" system, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and cutting military aid to Israel.
After Platner's withdrawal, Jackson said, "This movement has always been bigger than one person. We are fighting for an economy where billionaires and corporations pay their fair share."
Broad coalition
Jackson has received the backing of California Representative Ro Khanna, a leading progressive in the House. Khanna had previously supported Platner. Additionally, the Our Revolution group, born from Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, and labor unions in Maine are standing behind Jackson. This support helped him win an overwhelming majority of the county delegates.
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