Troy Jackson, fresh off securing Maine’s Democratic nomination for the Senate after Graham Platner’s campaign imploded, told MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” that the people of his state are “ready for a change” as he gears up to face Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, at the ballot box in November.
“People in Maine are fed up,” Jackson said Tuesday. “They got healthcare that’s gone out of control. We’re losing hospitals, losing birthing centers. The economy is awful.”
The former state senator explained why he believes voters will back him over Collins, who is running for a sixth term. The seat is crucial to Democrats’ chances of retaking the Senate.
“I’m a fifth-generation logger from Maine. I’ve been fighting my entire career to make life better here in Maine,” he said. “And that’s why I think people are going to come this way — because they know me, they trust me, they know I’ve been fighting for them.”
Jackson said Maine voters do not think the federal government is working for them and are looking for a change. “There’s an energy like I’ve never seen of people that are frustrated. They’re fed up,” he said.
“We can have much better government than we have right now, and people in Maine are going to show up in November, and Susan Collins is in trouble,” he added.
When asked whether he could match the enthusiasm of his predecessor’s now-defunct campaign, Jackson said it is “about the issues” and that the movement that helped propel Platner’s rise was “bigger than any one person.”
“We have a chance right now because people are coming together like I’ve never seen before. … People are coming out like crazy because they are upset,” he said. “They know that this government is not working for them. And finally it’s gotten so bad that they’re actually coming out, picking their heads up and want some change.”
Jackson also discussed his political evolution. While he has long championed progressive economic policies, his stances on other issues, including abortion rights, have shifted over time.
“Early on, I wasn’t real clear on reproductive rights, but I had a lot of conversations over time — a lot of conversations with women, doctors, community members, just people that I came to trust,” he said. “And it became more and more clear to me that abortion access was healthcare.”
Jackson noted that he now boasts a “100% record” from Planned Parenthood and helped advocate in the Maine Senate for expanding abortion access in his state after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Yeah, I was wrong,” he said. “But I’m very proud of my record over the last decade or more fighting for access across the state.”
You can watch Jackson’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
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