Greetings all. Troy Jackson, the man of the hour, and the next US Senator from Maine, dropped by earlier this afternoon to update us on his campaign to beat Susan Collins. A few highlights:
I will say that I didn't see this coming. I didn't want it this way or anything. Three or four weeks ago, I was fishing with my dad, and then the phone just started blowing up, and it became clear to me that I didn't want to see all that energy — the issues that I care so much about — I didn't want people to feel like they lost the opportunity. So we jumped in, and people have been really responsive. Again, I'm excited about trying to change government fundamentally for the people I care about. And, you know, people have been really responding positively. They want change.
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Yeah, I mean, you know, Collins — I've known her my entire life. I mean, as a matter of fact, back in '98, whenever a group of us were trying to get government to stand up for us in the logging community, Collins was two years into being U.S. Senator. She didn't want to actually get involved. She didn't want to go up against the billionaires, the big landowners in Maine. And so, I mean, I've known her for this my entire life.
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I'm excited, like talking with Hannah [Pingree], talking with Matt Dunlap, even before this, about trying to help them win, especially in the 2nd Congressional District where I'm from — explaining to people that the people I care about, their hopes and dreams are the same. And so now, obviously, I get a chance to be on the ticket with them. I get a chance to work with them firsthand, have the resources to work with them firsthand and fight for the state of Maine. Fight for the country that the three of us all agree on — as opposed to having Donald Trump and Susan Collins fight for, again, a select few that don't understand what it's like to go without health care, go without prescription drugs. I mean, I know for a fact that we're on the right side of this. We're on the right side of it for the people in the state of Maine.
Despite our struggles in Maine Troy Jackson can beat Susan Collins this November. Kamala Harris won Maine by 7 points in 2024 and the national landscape has moved another 7-10 points towards us. Our gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree led by 14 and 15 points in the last two public polls. The NYT poll of Maine a few weeks ago had the generic ballot +11 Democratic. The first poll with Jackson as our candidate has him up 49%-46%. Susan Collins is more unpopular than she has ever been and will be saddled with her many, many votes for the darkest parts of Trump’s agenda, including providing outrageous amounts of money for ICE without any reforms. It won’t be easy, and we will get outspent, but Troy Jackson can beat Susan Collins this November.
Our community has rallied for Troy and the good people of Maine. Through our Audacious Expansion Fund we’ve become one of the largest funders of the Maine Democratic Party this cycle; we provided the Maine Democratic Party almost a third of the money required to put on their successful nominating process that gave us a consensus nominee; and just in the last few days we’ve rushed $63,000 to Troy’s campaign to help him hire staff, build out his campaign, and get on with the important job of defeating Susan Collins. Today his campaign told us that this plucky community of proud patriots has raised more money for Troy so far than anyone else in the country. Amazing work everyone. Thank you all!
But we cannot stop there. We are shooting to raise Troy $100,000 by next Friday to ensure that can make up for lost ground and stay competitive with Collins’ incredibly well-resourced campaign. Can you donate today to help us get there?
Troy began the interview by acknowledging the incredible support he’s received from this community:
Thank you to the whole Hopium Chronicles community for all the support, all the work already. I mean, really, really appreciate it. It’s been really incredible in such a short time.
Here’s a terrific new video Troy’s campaign released today:
Friends, we’ve made big investments in Maine this cycle, and now need to go finish the job by electing Troy Jackson as Maine’s next Senator. Watch our discussion, share it with others, hit like so more will see it, and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and great candidates like Troy to elect all over the country, together - Simon
Bio - Troy Jackson, Democratic Nominee for US Senate in Maine
From JacksonForMaine.com:
Mainer by birth. Logger by trade. Senator for the people.
Troy Jackson grew up in Aroostook County, a poor kid in a town full of poor kids. His mom was 16 when he was born. His dad was a logger, like his dad, and his dad before him.
When Troy was in 7th grade, he saw his first strike. His dad and his fellow loggers were standing up to a wealthy landowner who thought he could squeeze them for more. They weren’t asking for any special treatment or a pay raise — they were just asking for basic fairness.
He told them: Do the work for what I’ll pay you today, or I’ll replace you tomorrow.
A few years later Troy became a logger himself. He spent years putting in 80-hour weeks in the woods — running equipment, driving trucks, and cutting wood just to make ends meet.
It wasn’t long until Troy was part of a big labor fight of his own, blocking the border to stand up to billionaire landowners cutting wages. Politicians — including then-first-term Senator Susan Collins — promised to listen, but they left Troy and his fellow loggers high and dry. After that experience, he realized nothing would change for him or anyone else like him unless there was a working class voice in the room when decisions got made. So he ran for the Maine state legislature.
Troy spent twenty years in the legislature, six as Senate President. He got there by earning the trust of his friends and neighbors — regardless of what party they belonged to, they knew Troy would fight for them.
In the legislature, Troy fought hard to successfully lower prescription drug prices, passed universal school meals, protected union jobs, expanded rural health care, delivered property tax relief, safeguarded our environment, and championed and passed some of the strongest reproductive health protections anywhere in the country.
But with the wins, there were real frustrations, too. Time and time again, Troy saw legislation that would be a gamechanger for working families to get watered down, killed, or vetoed. Powerful people marched in and dictated what they would do. It wasn’t so different than what he saw as a kid in the woods with his dad.
Like you, Troy is tired of watching working families get squeezed while the wealthiest keep getting more. He’s running for U.S. Senate to put power back in the hands of the people and fix our broken systems — because working Mainers deserve a fighter in Washington.
Troy earned an Associate's Degree from the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2000. He lives in Allagash with his partner, Lana. They have two grown sons.
