Troy Jackson Sen
belated jinx 11 26
closing time song at victory party; beaten by x gen logger after platner TROY
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11 26 some talk 2nd amed and cuz; left pop cat
Troy Dale Jackson (born June 26, 1968)[1]^ is an American politician and former logger who is the United States senator-elect from Maine. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Maine Senate from 2008 to 2014 and from 2016 to 2024, representing parts of northern Aroostook County. He was the Senate president from 2018 to 2024.[2][3]^
Jackson grew up in Allagash, Maine, and worked as a logger before entering politics. He first served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008, initially as an independent before joining the Democratic Party. He became involved in politics after helping lead a 1998 blockade by Maine loggers protesting the employment of Canadian workers in the state's logging industry. He served as Senate majority leader from 2013 to 2014 and minority leader from 2016 to 2018.
As Senate president, Jackson pursued a populist agenda focused on labor rights, health care and economic issues. His legislative accomplishments included expanding access to prescription drugs, establishing universal free school meals and increasing child care assistance. After an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2026, he became the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate and defeated incumbent Republican Susan Collins in the November general election.
Early life and education
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Jackson (back second left) with high school classmates in Allagash, 1986
Jackson was born on June 26, 1968, in Fort Kent, Maine,[4]^ on the state's border with Canada.[5]^ His mother, Colleen McBreairty, was a teacher and his father, Joe Jackson, was a logger.[6]^ His parents married when they were young[6]^ and his mother had him when she was 16.[7]^ He grew up in Allagash in a Catholic family[7]^ and his parents divorced while he was in middle school. He attended Allagash Consolidated School, where he played the sports the small school offered.[6]^ He later earned an Associate of Arts degree in business from the University of Maine at Fort Kent.[4]^
Logging career
Jackson grew up around the logging industry and rode in his father's logging truck as a child. When he was 12, he witnessed his father and other northern Maine loggers strike over concerns about mechanized harvesting and wages, an experience that shaped his views on labor. At age 19, he began working as a logger despite his parents' wanting him to pursue a different career. Jackson became the fifth generation in his family to work as a logger.[6][8]^
In 1998, while working as a logger, Jackson helped lead a one-week blockade along the Maine–Canada border,[1]^ with loggers from Maine using their trucks[9]^ to block Canadian loggers from crossing the border at three border checkpoints.[1]^ Fourteen other loggers joined him in the blockade.[10]^ Before the blockade, the group had filed 137 complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor over the hiring of temporary Canadian workers, but all the complaints were denied.[11]^
Industrial timber owners and corporate forest groups strongly condemned the blockade of an international crossing and argued that the use of direct action set a dangerous precedent for trade and cross-border transit.[12][13]^ Forest industry groups said the blockade threatened Maine's forest-products sector[14]^ because it disrupted supplies to regional mills and risked damaging longstanding trade ties with Canada.[13]^ Opponents also argued that hiring temporary Canadian workers through the federal seasonal H-2A visa program was legal and necessary because Maine's wood industry did not have enough local workers.[13]^
The blockade ended unsuccessfully after a week. Jackson and two other loggers were escorted away by the police. The incident prompted Jackson to enter electoral politics.[5]^
Maine House of Representatives
Jackson first ran for office as a Republican, running for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000 for District 151.[15]^ He narrowly lost to Democratic nominee Marc Michaud, with 2,017 votes to Michaud's 2,172.[16]^
In 2002, Jackson was elected as an independent to House District 151, defeating Michaud, 2,171 votes to 1,176 in a race without a Republican candidate.[17]^ He was the first non-Democrat to represent the area since 1978.[18]^ The Bangor Daily News called Jackson's victory the biggest upset of the 2002 elections in Maine.[18]^
During his first term, Jackson switched from Independent to Democrat in 2004,[19]^ citing Democratic support for legislation he had sponsored that would allow independent logging contractors to collectively bargain with forest landowners.[20]^ The bill was signed into law by Governor John Baldacci later that year.[21]^ After Maine's post-census legislative redistricting, Jackson ran for reelection in 2004 in the new House District 1 as a Democrat. He defeated Republican Paul Berube by a vote of 3,486 to 1,248.[22]^
During his second term, Jackson, a father of two children, sponsored legislation in 2005 that required alcohol distributors to post signs stating the legal consequences of buying alcohol for minors.[23]^ The measure grew out of efforts by a community group from his district in the St. John Valley to combat underage drinking, including placing similar signs in the area,[23]^ and became law that year.[24]^ He was reelected to the State House unopposed in 2006.[25]^
In the Maine House, Jackson served on the Labor Committee and the Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. He chaired the Fisheries and Wildlife Committee for two terms.[19]^
Maine Senate
Maine Senate (2008–14)
Maine state senate 2010 election results. District 35 is the northernmost district.
In 2008, Jackson was elected to represent District 35 in the Maine State Senate, defeating Republican Daniel DeVeau, 11,188 votes to 6,593.[26]^ He was reelected in 2010, defeating DeVeau again, 7,525 votes to 5,620, and holding the seat despite a Republican wave that saw the GOP claim its first government trifecta in Maine since 1963.[27]^ In 2012, Jackson was elected to a third term with 8,521 votes to Republican nominee Peter Edgecomb's 8,016.[28]^
In 2010, Jackson introduced a bill that would have prohibited the Maine Department of Conservation from hiring foreign laborers at state-owned logging sites. It passed both the House of Representatives and the State Senate before being vetoed by Republican Governor Paul LePage. LePage questioned the bill's constitutionality, while Jackson said that LePage was favoring large Canadian logging corporations over American workers.[29]^
Democrats regained control of the Maine Senate in the 2012 elections, and in December of that year, Jackson was elected assistant majority leader of the state senate. On July 10, 2013, Jackson was elected majority leader of the Maine Senate after the departure of fellow Democrat Seth Goodall, who resigned to accept a presidential appointment overseeing the New England region of the Small Business Administration.[30][31]^
In June 2013, Jackson called Governor LePage an "obstructionist" and "delusional" during discussions about the 2013–14 state budget. LePage responded that Jackson "claims to be for the people but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline". LePage added that Jackson "is a bad person" with "no brains" and a "black heart".[32][33][34]^
During his first period in the Maine Senate, Jackson served on a number of committees, including the Labor Committee, the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, and the State and Government Committee. He chaired the Labor and Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committees.[19]^
Congressional run and the DNC (2014–16)
On July 1, 2013, after incumbent Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud's decision to explore running for governor, Jackson announced he would run for Maine's 2nd congressional district.[35]^ On June 10, 2014, Jackson lost the Democratic primary to fellow State Senator Emily Cain, with 21% of the vote to Cain's 79%.[36]^ Cain lost the general election to Republican Bruce Poliquin.[37]^
On January 25, 2015, Jackson was elected as a member of the Democratic National Committee.[38]^ This gave him a superdelegate vote at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. He was one of only a handful of superdelegates to endorse and vote for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.[39]
Return to the Maine Senate (2016–24)
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Jackson in 2021
In November 2016, Jackson was reelected to the Maine Senate, in what was now the 1st District, over Republican Timothy Guerrette, with 51.5% of the vote to Guerrette's 48.5%, gaining a seat for the Democrats.[40]^ A week later, he was chosen by his fellow Democrats to be the senate minority leader.[41][42]^ He was reelected in 2018, 2020, and 2022,[43][44][45]^ becoming the senate president as the Democrats gained the majority in 2018 and retained it in 2020 and 2022.[46][19]^
As senate president, Jackson pursued a populist agenda that included fair wages and accessible health care.[47]^ He sponsored legislation aimed at lowering prescription drug costs. One bill required brand-name drug manufacturers to make their drugs available to generic manufacturers,[48]^ and became law in 2018 without Governor LePage's signature.[6]^ In 2019, Jackson sponsored legislation that established a prescription drug affordability board and allowed the importation of prescription drugs,[49]^ both of which were signed into law by Democratic Governor Janet Mills.[6]^
Jackson later introduced a legislation plan to address child care shortages and expand access to free school meals.[50]^ The plan included legislation sponsored by Jackson, which established universal free school meals, regardless of family income, beginning in the 2022–23 school year. The legislation made Maine the second state in the country to offer such a program.[51]^ In 2023, Jackson sponsored legislation to expand Maine's child care system that expanded subsidy eligibility to families earning up to 125 percent of the state's median income and doubled the average monthly stipend for child care workers. The expanded eligibility provision took effect the next year.[52]^
Jackson's legislative record during his senate presidency also included other health care measures. In 2022, he sponsored legislation that required state-regulated health plans to cover prescription contraceptives without out-of-pocket costs, which became law that year.[53][54]^ In 2024, he introduced legislation to regulate medical credit cards used to pay medical bills and protect patients from high interest charges.[55]^
Ahead of the 2022 Maine gubernatorial election, Jackson's supporters, including several labor unions and former Portland mayor Ethan Strimling, formed a political action committee named "Run Troy Run" in an attempt to draft Jackson to challenge incumbent governor Janet Mills in the Democratic primary.[56]^ Jackson distanced himself from the group's efforts, said he would not run against Mills, and endorsed her reelection campaign.[56]^ In 2023, he ran for a local seat on the Board of Selectmen in Allagash. He lost the election by six votes.[57]^
During his second period in the Maine Senate, Jackson served on the Senate Rules Committee and the Joint Select Committee on Joint Rules, which he chaired during his final term.[19]^ He left the Maine Senate following the 2024 election due to term limits.
2026 gubernatorial campaign
Main article: 2026 Maine gubernatorial election
Jackson campaigning alongside Graham Platner at a Portland Hearts of Pine match in September 2025
On March 7, 2025, Jackson announced he was exploring a run for governor of Maine in the 2026 election.[58]^ On May 19, he announced his candidacy at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. He said he was running on behalf of working-class Mainers who feel "under attack from billionaires, special interests, and their friends who control Washington".[59]^
Jackson was endorsed by 40 local Maine labor unions, as well as high-profile national progressives such as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative from California Ro Khanna. In March 2026, he was endorsed by the Mi'kmaq Tribal Council, which cited Jackson's longtime support for tribal sovereignty and his establishing a commission to examine the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act.[60][61]^
In the ranked-choice Democratic primary, Jackson finished third on first preferences and was eliminated on the third count with 29% of the vote.[62]^ The primary was won by Hannah Pingree, whom Jackson had cross-endorsed along with fellow candidate Shenna Bellows.[62]^
2026 U.S. Senate campaign
Main article: 2026 United States Senate election in Maine
Jackson's 2026 campaign logo, used for both his campaign for governor and senate
During their respective primary campaigns, gubernatorial candidate Jackson initially maintained a close political alliance with U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner. They endorsed each other and often appeared at rallies together.[63][64][65]^ On June 9, 2026, Platner won his primary, while Jackson lost his. Less than a month later, a former partner of Platner's accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021.[66]^ Jackson immediately distanced himself from Platner, rescinded his endorsement, and called on Platner to withdraw from the race.[67]^ Jackson said it would be "incredibly self-serving" if Platner did not end his Senate campaign but praised Platner for building a movement that "lasted past him".[68][69]^
On July 7, 2026, Jackson filed Federal Election Commission paperwork forming a campaign committee to run for the U.S. Senate as Platner's replacement.[70]^ Jackson formally announced his candidacy to replace Platner the next day.[70]^ He has been endorsed by U.S. Representative Ro Khanna,[71]^ U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).[72][73][74]^ Jackson said he would not accept an endorsement from Platner and that Platner had lied to him when he had asked about Platner's past behavior.[75][76]^
During county caucuses held on July 18 and 19 to elect delegates to a special nominating convention scheduled for July 25, Jackson's slate won an absolute majority in every county except Lincoln and Washington, and 456[a]^ out of 500 total elected delegates statewide.[78]^ His major opponents, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former CDC official Nirav Shah, businessman Dan Kleban, and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, withdrew on July 19, with the latter three endorsing Jackson.[79]^
At the special Democratic convention on July 25, Jackson won the Democratic nomination over healthcare executive Saundra Pelletier, 566–5.[80][81]^
On November 3, Jackson defeated Collins.[82]^
Political positions
Abortion rights
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Troy Jackson - Maine Democratic Party
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 ...
TIME
Troy Jackson Defeats Susan Collins in Maine Senate Race - TIME
1 day agoTroy Jackson, a logger and former president of the Maine Senate, defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins, ending her three-decade tenure and delivering Democrats one of their most sought-after ...
New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com › 2026 › 11 › 04 › us › politics › how-troy-jackson-beat-susan-collins.html
How Troy Jackson Defeated Susan Collins in Maine, Ending Her 30 Year ...
1 day agoTroy Jackson, a former Democratic state lawmaker, upset Senator Susan Collins, a Republican who had served the state for 30 years.
Yahoo
Maine elects Democrat Troy Jackson over Susan Collins, ending ... - Yahoo
1 day agoThe race in Maine between Collins, the longest-serving Republican woman senator, and Jackson was one of the country's most expensive and closely watched Senate contests.
CBS News
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