Troy Jackson was originally a candidate for governor on the June 9 ballot. Read his answers from our primary election survey here.
Personal/biographical information pertinent to the role
Fifth-generation logger from Allagash, union member and father of two. Former Maine Senate President with a record of delivering for working people and rural communities.
Top three priorities
Lower costs by passing Medicare for All, taking on corporate price-gouging and building affordable housing. I spent years working 80-hour weeks in the woods and got into politics after helping lead a logging blockade for fair wages. These aren’t abstract issues to me — they’re why I’m in this fight.
Why are you running?
Working people are getting crushed while billionaires and corporations buy power in Washington. I’ve spent my life fighting that same rigged system—from the logging woods to the Maine Senate. I’m running to carry forward Maine’s working-class movement, defeat Susan Collins and give people a senator who will fight like hell for them—not the wealthy and well-connected.
Our recent poll showed that more than half of Maine’s likely voters want Democrats to control Congress, and electability has already been a major issue in this race. Why are you more electable in November than the other candidates?
I’m a fifth-generation logger who has repeatedly won in a district that backed both Donald Trump and Susan Collins because I’ve lived the same struggles and will fight for them regardless of party. I’ve delivered real results, built bipartisan coalitions and earned support from unions, progressives and leaders across Maine. Two separate polls conducted after this race changed showed me defeating Collins. I can unite our party and win.
What are the highlights of your plan to lower the cost of living for Mainers?
I know what it means to work 80-hour weeks and still wonder how you’ll make ends meet. That’s why I’ll pass Medicare for All and lower drug costs; build affordable housing and stop Wall Street from buying Maine homes; make child care affordable; strengthen unions and raise wages; and reverse Trump’s tax giveaways to billionaires and corporations. Working Mainers deserve the freedom to build a good life.
Would you support term limits for members of Congress? Why or why not?
Yes. Public service should be about serving people, not holding power forever. Maine limits legislators’ terms, and Congress should do the same. Susan Collins has been in Washington for nearly 30 years, and no one — Republican or Democrat, including me — should hold the same office forever. I support reasonable term limits for both the House and Senate, alongside reforms to curb the power of lobbyists and dark money.
Would you support Medicare for All — expanding the current social program to all Americans? Why or why not?
Yes. Health care is a human right, not a privilege reserved for people who can afford it. I will vote for Medicare for All so every American can receive the care they need without premiums, deductibles, medical debt or fear of bankruptcy. It would also let us negotiate lower drug prices and end the power of insurance corporations to profit by denying care.
Would you support eliminating the filibuster? Why or why not?
Yes. I support eliminating the filibuster. Republicans should not be able to use an anti-democratic Senate rule to block voting rights, abortion protections, workers’ rights, gun-safety laws and action on the climate crisis. If Mainers elect a majority to deliver change, a minority of senators—often representing far fewer Americans—should not have veto power over that mandate.
Graham Platner ran on getting money out of politics. If you share this priority, what is your plan to do so?
I learned in the logging woods what happens when corporations control the system: working people get ignored. When we couldn’t get anyone in power to listen to our concerns about wages and working conditions, we blockaded the border to force their attention. I’ve since taken the People’s Pledge and helped ban corporate contributions in Maine elections. In the Senate, I’ll reject corporate PAC money, fight to overturn Citizens United, require full disclosure and ban congressional stock trading.
Do you support an end to U.S. military aid in Israel? Is Israel committing a genocide in Gaza? Why or why not?
Yes. I support ending U.S. military aid that enables Israel’s assault on Gaza, which is a genocide. America must stop supplying weapons used to kill civilians and require compliance with U.S. and international law. I support a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, full humanitarian access and accountability—toward a future where Palestinians and Israelis can live in freedom, dignity and security.
Should ICE exist in its current form? If so, explain your answer. If not, what should exist instead?
No. ICE has become a violent, lawless force that terrorizes communities and operates without meaningful accountability and just fatally shot one of our neighbors in Biddeford. It should be abolished. Immigration services should be handled by a humane, civilian agency that respects due process and keeps families together; serious cross-border crime can be investigated by accountable federal law enforcement. We need comprehensive immigration reform—not masked raids, detention quotas and fear.
Give Susan Collins a performance grade. What, if anything, has she done well?
F. I appreciate every federal dollar she has helped bring home, but securing funding is the job — not a permission slip to betray Mainers. Collins gave Trump decisive votes for Brett Kavanaugh and tax breaks for billionaires, then helped advance nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. She keeps expressing “concern” and delivering the votes Trump and the wealthy need.
Collins is running on her seniority in the Senate, including her position as chair of the appropriations committee. How do you plan to refute her argument that Maine benefits from her experience?
Seniority only matters if you use it for the people you represent. No grant can make up for Collins’ votes to cut health care, overturn abortion rights and enrich billionaires. As Maine Senate President, I brought Democrats and Republicans together to save rural veterans’ homes, lower prescription-drug costs, pass universal school meals and protect union jobs. I know how to deliver—and I won’t sell Mainers out to do it.