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Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins (R) has won five elections in a row, and a Democrat has not won a United States Senate seat in the state since 1988 — but polls suggest Mainers have reached a breaking point. They’re tired of corruption and inaction from establishment politicians in Washington, D.C., and they’re clamoring for change.
Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who spent nearly two decades as a state legislator, says he’s ready to shake things up. After populist insurgent Graham Platner dropped out of the race in July, Maine’s Democratic Party tapped Jackson as its new candidate.
Today on Lever Time , David Sirota sits down with Jackson to ask: why haven’t Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat in Maine in 38 years? Why does Collins keep winning? What’s changed in Maine over the last three decades, and why does he believe he can finally topple the state’s longtime Republican senator?
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This episode was produced by David Sirota and Natalie Bettendorf . The video and audio were edited and mixed by Ron S. Doyle . Our theme music is by Nick Byron Campbell . Marketing support, ad sales, and hosting from the Podglomerate .
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TRANSCRIPT
Following is an automated, unedited transcription of this episode. The text may contain grammatical or spelling errors, especially for proper nouns, or attribute text to the wrong speaker. If you plan to quote any part of this transcript, please first confirm that it is correct by listening to the audio.
[00:00:00] David Sirota: From The Lever's reader-supported newsroom, it's Lever Time. I'm David Sirota.
If you asked me what comes to mind when I think of the state of Maine, I'd probably describe a haunted scene from one of its most famous residents, Stephen King. Gray skies, cold rain, damp air, maybe a cemetery, or maybe something out of a travel brochure, like a rugged coastline dotted with lighthouses or a restaurant serving decadent lobster rolls.
But as I've spent time reporting in Maine this year, the far-flung northeastern state has come to mean a lot more to me. It's a political battleground whose election outcome could affect the entire country.
For much of its history, Maine has not been a hotbed of firebrand politics. This bellwether state has been known for its soft-spoken senators like Ed Muskie, Bill Cohen, and George Mitchell, people who were described as, quote, "thoughtful and pragmatic."
Those days are long gone. Polls now suggest Mainers have reached a breaking point, and they're clamoring for real change. But Democrats have not won a Senate seat in Maine for almost 40 years. Seventy-three-year-old Republican Senator Susan Collins has won five Senate terms against more traditional Democrats.
Most recently, she beat her 2020 Democratic challenger by eight points.
But the thing is, Maine generally leans blue. For many years, it has voted for Democrats in presidential elections, and it has a Democratic governor and a Democratic state legislature. So Republican Susan Collins has survived by relying on independent and ticket-splitting Democratic voters to win her elections, and that includes rural working-class voters who felt abandoned by the Democratic Party.
To capture self-described moderates, Collins has branded herself as a more liberal Republican on issues like abortion, even though she voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The 2026 race to unseat Collins has captured national attention as Maine has been identified as critical to Democrats' plan to take back the U.S. Senate.
For the first half of this year, it seemed likely that Susan Collins would lose to her opponent, the oyster farmer turned Senate candidate, Graham Platner. But then in early July, after Platner had won the Democratic Senate nomination, the Senate race took a sudden turn.
[00:02:40] ABC News: we do have breaking news. Maine Senate candidate, Graham Platner, is suspending his campaign and will withdraw from the ballot.
[00:02:47] David Sirota: Platner dropped out of the race after allegations of rape were published in Politico. There was then a mad scramble to find a replacement candidate through rapid fire caucuses and an impromptu convention. The Maine Democratic Party had only a few days to name a new candidate before the July 27th deadline, and that's when they picked this guy.
[00:03:08] Troy Jackson: I'm Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from way up in Aroostook County, Allagash.
[00:03:12] David Sirota: I first met Troy Jackson in the spring when I went to report on Graham Platner's candidacy.
Troy Jackson back then was the Bernie Sanders-endorsed candidate for governor, a race that he lost in the Democratic primary. Now Troy is the Senate nominee, another twist in his winding and unconventional political path from lumberjack to politician.
Troy Jackson's political ascent started almost 30 years ago when he and about a dozen of his fellow loggers drove to the U.S.-Canadian border and set up a blockade, blocking the road with their pickup trucks.
The blockade was a protest against wealthy landowners who were hiring cheaper temporary labor from Canada, allegedly taking away American jobs and driving down wages in the process.
[00:03:57] Troy Jackson: I saw government, uh, not being willing to stand up for people in the logging industry, including Senator Collins.
This was a pivotal moment for Troy, one that catapulted him into politics. It just, you know, infuriated me and, uh, made me understand that government's not... as much as people wanna make you feel like if you play by the rules and, and do everything right, government's gonna be there for you, it's not. you have to actually fight for it.
[00:04:21] David Sirota: He held a state Senate seat in District One, a rural conservative district way up in the northern part of Maine.
Later on, he served as Democrats' state Senate president for six years, and now he's in the biggest race of his life, running a populist pro-Medicare-for-all campaign for the United States Senate.
And there's a lot on the line for the rest of the country.
Today on Lever Time, I'm sitting down with Troy Jackson, the man who could decide control of the U.S. Senate, and I've got some questions. Why haven't Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat in Maine in literally 38 years? Why does Susan Collins keep winning? What's changed over the last three decades? And why does Troy Jackson believe that he can finally topple the state's longtime Republican senator?
That's all coming up on today's episode of Lever Time.
[00:05:17] David Sirota: Welcome back to Lever Time. I'm speaking with Troy Jackson, Maine's Democratic Senate nominee.
so you've been in Maine politics a long time in the legislature and the like. My first question is, why has your party, the Maine Democratic Party, been unable to win a U.S. Senate seat in Maine for 38 years? And why has Susan Collins kept winning?
[00:05:39] Troy Jackson: Yeah, I mean, it's a great question. Uh, I mean, I think we've had, uh, some good candidates. I think that the Democratic Party, uh, over time has had a problem of not being willing to stick to, or, or at least come out and lean into economic issues. Um, you know, I believe strongly in that. I believe that, you know, we, we have to fight for healthcare, prescription drugs, childcare now, housing is a big deal.
Like here in Maine, elder care, nursing home, in-home services are, are r- really in crisis. And I, I think abortion, I think, uh, that's an economic driver, uh, for people when they choose to have a family. And I just think that a lot of those things we haven't been as willing to lean into. And for whatever reason, we've lost that message, and people have gone away from, uh, the party.
But, uh, you know, I, I continue to talk about that. I mean, my district went from a place that y- you had to be a Democrat to win to a place that they say now a Repub- you have to be a Republican to win. But I continued to win even when Trump was on the ballot the last three times. Uh, we had some good, uh, candidates in the past.
Collins was able to tell people things, uh, that I don't agree with. I think, you know, her acting like she was pro-choice, clearly is not the case now, six years later. Um, you know, she doesn't regret the Kavanaugh vote. Um, you know, she's not worked for Maine. She's given tax cuts to billionaires on the backs of our healthcare system.
I mean, it's all crashing around her. And, um and the other thing, David, I really believe I'm gonna win this election, and it's not because it's Troy Jackson, not because they got a better candidate in the past or anything like that. It's because, uh, people are sick of the government. It's people that are coming out changing.
They want change. And, and, you know, I'm excited to be part of this, this moment, uh, to get the things that I care about, but, uh, this is something way bigger than I've ever seen
[00:07:30] David Sirota: So you mentioned your own district where you've represented. When you've talked to people in that district who are, let's say, voting for you for legislature, but also voting for Donald Trump, what are they saying about why they're voting for, uh, Donald Trump and, and the Republicans? W- What's, what's the message you hear from them?
[00:07:50] Troy Jackson: Mm-hmm.
Well, I think, you know, two years ago and then further back in '16, I mean, in '16, you know, Trump was really parroting a lot of what Democrats, or at least labor Democrats believed in. You know, he talked about bad trade deals. He talked about prescription drugs. You know, he talked about, uh, healthcare and so many other things.
Said he wasn't gonna take away, uh, reproductive rights and so it, it was really easy back then to understand why a lot of people got confused. I I certainly didn't, but, uh, but in 2024, I think he was, you know, talking about affordability issues. I mean, he was. He was talking about price of eggs and things like that.
Now he has done nothing for that. I mean, he's made it so much worse. Uh, so in two short years, people do have buyer remorse, and, and you see it across the state that, people are sorry they voted for him. They don't believe in him. I mean, again, I mean, look, I've been to four different birthing centers closing in the last two years.
Waterville's closed one of their hospitals. You know, right now nursing homes across the state are in crisis, and it's all because we wanted to give tax cuts to Elon Musk on the backs of Medicaid funding. And then you have ICE here in Maine, you know, giving all that money to them. A rogue agency that does what they want.
The tariffs, uh, the Iran war are, you know, you know, really hurting this economy, and, and people don't understand, like, you know, what, what does this mean to them? I mean, this is just something that Trump's doing. Then, like on the tariffs today, we found out that part of this was because they wouldn't agree with Canadian government about French language.
Well, you know, whole parts of Maine are, are French culture, including myself. I mean, and, and to, to be so anti, French, uh, to create this type of trade war is ridiculous. I mean, you know, and people are, I mean, people are, they're coming out. They're, they're upset. They don't believe that this is what they were supposed to get.
I really can't say how excited I am that finally people are, uh, getting out of that comfort level and, and want a government that they can be proud of
[00:09:51] David Sirota: So in Maine, Graham Platner won a big primary victory, then dropped out of the race. I think a lot of are watching uh, know that. There's been reporting that, uh, some Mainers have been demoralized by w- what happened. I think my question for you is as the nominee now, how have you been convincing voters who might have been energized by, uh, Platner's anti-establishment message that you're not just l- sort of a safe insider replacement that the party wanted all along?
How are you, convincing those voters who, who feel disappointed with what happened, that you're carrying the—
[00:10:29] Troy Jackson: Sure. Yeah, I mean, I can understand how people can feel, frustrated and left behind. I mean, I felt like that a lot in my life. I mean, including the Senate president. If you're the Senate president of the state of Maine, that's, here in Maine, that's the second highest, uh, rank and official, and, and to still feel left behind, I mean, I can only imagine, uh, what people outside of government...
And, and, and certainly in that case, I, I, I got that frustration. And so right off, I was trying to make sure that people understood that, look, I was campaigning on those same stages, talking about the same thing, you know, about Medicare for All, about, you know, prescription drugs and stuff like that, and that, you know, I've got a long career of doing that.
I mean, people n- you know, when you look at my background, I mean, these are the things I've been fighting for. I mean, I've been pushing back against billionaires since I was an 11-year-old kid. Standing up for everyday working-class people that didn't believe they could do it on their own, and, and I was willing to do that.
And, you know, I mean, I've had like 100 bills vetoed here in the state government, more than anyone in the history of Maine by Democrat and Republican governors. Uh, you know, in the end, it's the th- you know, working-class people were the ones that, uh, I was fighting for, and it didn't matter what party, uh, they were leaving them behind.
So I mean, and, and I think the last thing about that too is that, you know, I've been very clear with people, it's like all these things that you were fighting for previous to me being the nominee are still right in front of us. I mean, we can get this, you know? We can get Medicare for All. You know, we can, push back against the billionaires.
You know, we can change the government. Just gonna be with a different messenger, b- but the messenger has always been there.
[00:12:05] David Sirota: We're gonna take a quick break. We'll be right back.
[00:12:11] David Sirota: Welcome back to Lever Time.
What do you say to those who argue that the agenda that you're talking about, which really i- is, an agenda I think people have heard, uh, from people like Bernie Sanders as this populist agenda. What do y- what do you say to those who would argue, and you hear this a lot in Washington, this populist agenda is too radical, that something like Medicare for All is too radical?
I mean, you hear that from the Republicans, but you hear that from some Democrats. W- what's your response to that?
[00:12:40] Troy Jackson: Well, I mean, that's the thing. I've been hearing that, uh, again my whole life. You know, "You can't do this." It's, you know, "You're, you're asking for too much." You know, "Now's not the right time." I mean, it's all people that are set, you know, all people that have everything they need, and they don't really give a shit about the rest of us.
You know, there's always, you know, money for wars. There's always money for, you know, rogue agencies like ICE. There's always money for billionaires like Elon Musk, but there's, there's no money for healthcare? I mean, every other country, , has figured this out, and I mean, and I'm right on the Canadian border.
I mean, I do not ever have a Canadian tell me that they don't like their healthcare, um, that they don't like the prescription drugs. I just know better. And, and this is just, you know, the healthcare industry. It's the big pharma with all of their power and influence, uh, buying politicians that continue to parrot that thing that, you know, you can't do this.
We can do this. I mean, you know, we just have to prioritize what we want to do in this country
[00:13:35] David Sirota: Why do you believe this is the year that Susan Collins will lose in the context of she's won so many previous times when Democrats have said it was gonna be the year that, that she would lose? What, what has changed in your mind that makes this year the year?
[00:13:54] Troy Jackson: Well, I think, the challenge of, going after powerful positions is once you get them, you have to deliver. And, and she's not . She's chair of Appropriations Committee, and she's basically just a rubber stamp for Donald Trump and his agenda. She won't push back on anything.
She won't push back on, tax cuts for the wealthy, even though it's all on the backs of our healthcare system. She won't push back on ICE, even after we had a young man, uh, murdered here in Biddeford for nothing more than going to work for his family on a Monday morning, which is, you know, something that everyone understands, uh, in the working class.
You know, you're getting up just to go to work, and this man was murdered, uh, because he was a different color than me. You know, and she, she just won't push back on any of those things. And so— And the other thing that I think is so central too is, like, six years ago, uh, we didn't have the overturn of Roe versus Wade.
Uh, we didn't have her out there saying that , she doesn't regret the Kavanaugh vote. I mean, besides Roe versus Wade, Kavanaugh has been a train wreck, and, and people in Maine know that. And so all those things obviously are, are coming to a head right now. People are getting really stretched thin on the economy, on affordability, on their healthcare.
You know, seeing someone that says they have the power but won't use it. Uh, all these things are gonna make, uh, Susan Collins very unhappy in November.
[00:15:16] David Sirota: Okay, so let's look ahead, if we can just for a moment, to after the election. Let's imagine that Troy Jackson, you are now a U.S. senator, and the Democrats have a slim majority i- in the Congress. What's the one thing or a handful of things you're gonna make clear to your party's who are running the show that you may disagree with them about in your new job?
[00:15:46] Troy Jackson: Well, I mean, I, I, I just disagree with, I'm not against wealthy people. I mean, I, I don't begrudge them or anything like that, but I am sick of wealthy people dictating to the rest of us, how our lives are gonna go. You know, for me it's about, having a perspective of, you know, working class people, you know, union rights, you know, workers' rights.
Uh, those things are important to me and I'm not going to bend the knee to anyone on these issues because, you know, this is who I am and this is how I've... I don't really feel like I've- I'm anything extraordinary. I don't. But anywhere I've gotten, uh, was because I was fighting for people I cared about, and I'm gonna continue to do that and, and the people in D.C. better understand that too, because I'm not going there to kiss any rings or anything like that.
I'm going there to fight for the same things that I've been fighting for my entire life.
[00:16:35] David Sirota: If you're elected, would you commit to supporting Chuck Schumer for majority leader?
[00:16:40] Troy Jackson: Well, you know, I, I mean, I've already said that, you know, I, I don't support Senator Schumer. Um, you know, I think it's time for, for new ideas. Um, you know, that's just the way I feel. You know, that's not, I mean, that's what I've already said.
[00:16:53] David Sirota: So in this campaign, and especially if you win, in the context of you having been in the legislature and fought with, people in both parties at, at, at different times, with that context, how d- how are you planning to keep the establishment machinery a- and all the money from, , watering down or influencing you in the sense of the, the economic populist agenda that you've built your career on?
I mean, talk to us a little bit about how, how that influence works and, and how you're prepared to combat it.
[00:17:25] Troy Jackson: it's just a big deal to me to deliver for people that I care about. I mean, you know, going back and facing people that I, wanted to, you know, make something happen for and not being able to do that is something I hate. You know, I mean, to look, people that really needed you to deliver and, and you couldn't for whatever reason, uh, something that I've always dreaded.
And that's why I, you know, work as hard as I can to make these things happen. Maybe sometimes been too passionate about an issue, but, but th- this is a big deal for me. And so as far as down in D.C., I mean, I, you know, I'll do whatever I have to make, uh, people understand, uh, how important these issues are.
I mean, in the Maine legislature, even as Senate president, I held up budgets, uh, because I believed wholeheartedly that they weren't right for people I cared about. I've had, uh, you know, like you said, fights with both Republicans and Democrats, but quite honestly, probably a lot of the bigger scars I have is from Democrats.
So I mean, I just don't care about pushing back against parties because in the end, I'm trying to deliver for Mainers and Americans overall.
[00:18:31] David Sirota: We're gonna take one more quick break, but before we continue, I just want to tell you about The Lever's weekly newsletter, Midterm Madness.
Every week, our newsroom brings you the elections worth watching, the money trails worth following, the numbers that cut through the spin, and the campaign moments that reveal more than the official talking points ever will. You can check out Midterm Madness at levernews.com/midtermmadness.
We'll be right back.
[00:18:59] David Sirota: Welcome back to Lever Time. There's been a lot of national reporting on in the last, last year or so. I'm curious, is there anything that you think has been, reported about Maine or the perception of Maine, the political situation that you think has not been properly represented? Are you reading a lot of the stories about what's going on in Maine or Maine politics, and are there things where you're like, "That's actually not what Maine is all about.
There's a real misperception here." I'm just curious w- how you think, uh, the politics of the state you're running in, may not be, being accurately represented in the political conversation.
[00:19:39] Troy Jackson: Yeah, I mean, I, I mean, obviously right now there's an awful lot of money in, in this state, uh, making arguments, um, that I see. But overall, you know, I think a lot of times, people will talk about how this state is, you know, getting more conservative in second CD and stuff like that. I, I just think that, you know, people in Maine overall, first and second CD, uh, feel like, uh, government's not, you know, standing up for them, not fighting for, for them.
And I don't care if you're a Republican or Democrat, and I've been both. Uh, people want somebody in their corner, and I don't blame them. That's what I've always wanted. That's why I get into this. I didn't feel like, you know, people were fighting for the people in my family, the people in my community, and so that's why I jumped in even though, you know, I was 29-year-old naive young man.
Uh, but since then I've, I've figured it out. I figured out, um, you know, what it means. and I think that, uh, that's the one thing about this state is that, people will vote for whoever they think is gonna be the best for them, and, and I don't blame them. I mean, that's, that's how I would approach it too.
[00:20:43] David Sirota: One last question. , There's gonna be, as you alluded to, a, a lot of money spent against you. Like a t- there already is a ton of money being spent against you. They're gonna say you're the worst person in the world. They're gonna make you out to be some sort of horrible, evil villain. Just for, for those who are watching from the outside, just talk to us a little bit about the experience of seeing yourself on TV being portrayed as, like, the biggest monster in the world.
What do you tell yourself about that? What are you hearing from people, i- in the community about that? How do you sort of manage that in your own mind?
[00:21:16] Troy Jackson: Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, I mean, obviously I've had negative ad- ads against me in the past. Even Collins' family, you know, has done that, I mean, 'cause I represented them in Northern Maine. Uh, but obviously nothing to this extent. Uh, you finding out or, or remembering things that you did four years ago, uh, was kind, kind of interesting.
You know, I didn't see, uh, some of those attacks, but...
[00:21:39] David Sirota: I mean, apparently you, you got mad at people sometimes in the legislature and ye- and yelled at people. I mean, my, my wife is a state legislature, a state legislator, and I'm like, "I don't even understand why that's news. Like, that's just being in a state legislature."
[00:21:51] Troy Jackson: I, I, I kinda, yeah, you know, the stories that I've been involved in, people, um... I mean, I, you know, again, I, I apologize to people if I went too far. Uh, but I am super passionate about, uh, these issues, again, because I, I feel strongly that you have to deliver for people that put you there.
And but you're right I think a lot of legislators, I mean, are passionate, but I mean, what you're seeing here is, uh, you know, that I have a long record. I think for, you know, people in Maine, Republican and Democrat, just based on the record, they feel very good about me.
So now you're seeing, you know, all these personal attacks, family attacks, and things like that. And it's really unfortunate because I would like to talk about the issues, the issues that are affecting Mainers. And let's talk about records. I mean, I'm, I'm happy to you know, talk about mine. I, uh, wish Senator Collins would be more willing to talk about hers.
I mean, never doing a town hall in the last 25 years. I mean, I have three next week. So I mean, we're trying to get out there and meet people where they're at, hear more. I mean, I have my ideas about what we need to do in this economy, but I, I love hearing from other people about, uh, things 'cause that's where I get some of my best, best ideas.
So I don't know. I mean, the whole thing is, is, you know, pretty sick to me that, you know, Elon Musk is just trying to make sure he keeps Susan Collins in the U.S. Senate voting for tax cuts for wealthy people while I'm been, you know, busting my back, trying to deliver for everyday Mainers that need somebody in their corner.
[00:23:17] David Sirota: Troy Jackson is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, a state that Democrats have not won a Senate race in 38 Troy Jackson, thanks for your time today, and good luck
[00:23:29] Troy Jackson: Thanks, David. I really appreciate it. Thanks for having me on.
[00:23:32] David Sirota: Thanks for listening to another episode of Lever Time. Lever Time is a production of The Lever. This episode was produced by Natalie Bettendorf. Our theme music is by Nick Byron Campbell. Marketing support from the Podglomerate. Our director of podcast production is Ron Doyle.
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I'm David Sirota. We'll be back next week with another episode of Lever Time.
How Troy Jackson Can Put Collins' Career On The Chopping Block
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