PRESS RELEASE
AOC: “The Most Important Thing We Can Do For Women In Maine Is Vote For Troy Jackson"
PORTLAND, ME — At a town hall on Thursday, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took questions from Mainers on their priorities, from expanding access to health care and reproductive care, to cutting taxes for working people, to getting out of foreign wars that are increasing costs across the board for Mainers.
In a stand out moment, AOC declared that “the most important thing that we can do for women in Maine is to vote for Troy Jackson for the United States Senate. Because Troy believes in our reproductive freedom, Troy stands up for my and your right to choose, both constitutionally and with dollars in our pockets, he has stood up for our equal pay. He has stood up for our rights, and the most important thing for us as women to do is to elect this man to the United States Senate.”
See what people are saying:
Bangor Daily News: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appeals to Maine women at rally with Troy Jackson
Ocasio-Cortez said Collins, as one of the few Republican women in the Senate, had been in a unique position “to protect every woman in America,” but failed.
“If we want to be able to deliver our children safely and for our men to protect our families in moments of crises like these, the most important thing we can do for women in Maine is vote for Troy Jackson,” she said to resounding applause.
It hit on Jackson’s core argument that Collins and a Republican-led Congress are beholden to wealthy donors and have failed to check the Trump administration, something the senator has disputed during her campaign.
“The most important thing we can do for women in Maine is vote for Troy Jackson for the United States Senate!” Ocasio-Cortez told a crowd of hundreds of supporters gathered at the State Theater, where the two politicians held the stage for an hour and answered unscripted questions from unscreened audience members, mostly college students.
“I think it’s important for all of us to understand that the trillion dollars in health care cuts that Susan Collins paved the way for, right? She will say, 'Oh, I didn’t vote for the Big Ugly Bill.’ She waited until they had enough votes,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “In the votes that allowed this trillion dollars in healthcare cuts to go to the floor, Susan Collins voted, ‘Yes.’ Susan Collins, Senator Collins voted to allow this to proceed.”
Jackson said, “Obviously, stopping a president that doesn’t believe in the rule of law. I mean, when Congress appropriates money for research, you know, it has to go forward. He can’t hold those things up. I mean, he can’t go to war without Congress’ approval. He can’t do tariffs. But because the Republicans are in charge, they’re letting him get away with everything he wants.”
Newsweek: AOC Motivates Dem Base for Troy Jackson in Maine Battleground Senate Race
“In the votes that allowed this trillion dollars in healthcare cuts to go to the floor, Susan Collins voted yes,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Senator Collins voted to allow this to proceed at every opportunity, and it is only when she thinks that people aren’t looking and aren’t paying attention that she’ll vote no, thinking you don’t know what she’s up to. That she waited until it went past the post in order to say no, when at every other point she said yes.”
Ocasio-Cortez also touted Jackson as the candidate who “believes in our reproductive freedom.” “He has stood up for our equal pay. He has stood up for our rights,” she said. “The most important thing for us as women to do is to elect this man to the United States Senate."
WGME: AOC joins Senate candidate Troy Jackson for town hall event in Portland
“Let's get out of Iran,” Jackson said. “We can get our economy stabilized, get prices back down.” “I'm going to tell you they are paying for it with your healthcare and lack thereof, so it's about time that we flip that equation,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Susan Collins, one of the only Republican female Senators, in a unique position to protect every woman in America, decided to declare open season on us instead,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“When you have someone like Troy go to the United States Senate and call everything for what it is, it disrupts and makes it harder for everyone to get away with all of the glad-handing that goes on,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Portland Press Herald: AOC tells voters Troy Jackson will get billionaire influence out of politics
“They’ve been afraid of a waitress in the House, and a logger in the United States Senate,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “So they want to critique how he talks, how he looks, the way he says things. Because if you’re not one of them, they at least want you to act like you are.”
“When you have someone like Troy go to the United States Senate and call everything for what it is, it disrupts and makes it harder for everyone to get away with all the glad-handing that goes on over there,” she said.
Jackson said his first actions — were Democrats to take back the Senate — would be repealing President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act to restore billions in Medicaid funding, then to push for Medicare for All. He called for no more “blank checks to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu,” for the abolition of ICE, and for an end to stock trading by members of Congress.
WMTW: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rallies for progressive Agenda with Troy Jackson
Ronnie Parillo: The two talked about funding Medicare for All with money that's going towards the war in Iran currently. They also touched on rural hospitals and healthcare. Now we have seen labor and delivery units close here in Maine, that was a topic of discussion. Ocasio-Cortez accusing Collins of gutting rural healthcare funding and hitting her again on her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
AOC: Because Susan Collins, one of the only Republican female senators in a unique position to protect every woman in America, decided to declare open season on us instead.
WABI: AOC Rallies with Troy Jackson in Portland
Anchor: Both dedicated a lot of the event to calls for changing America's priorities from foreign conflicts to domestic cost of living issues.
AOC: How can we afford war after war after war? How are we going to afford Iran? How are we going to afford Gaza? How can we afford these things when our folks at home can't eat, can't go to the doctor, and can't rebuild a bridge?
New York Times: What Dueling Visits by Ocasio-Cortez and Manchin Say About Maine’s Senate Race
Mr. Jackson, a former State Senate president, is working to activate the state’s many Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters who say they are hungry for change and infuriated by the Trump administration and Republicans who have supported it.
Mr. Jackson said Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was “exactly what I want in my government — somebody that’s not afraid to stand up, fight for what she believes in.”
Semafor: Manchin, Ocasio-Cortez deliver Maine Senate closing arguments
In Portland, Ocasio-Cortez wore a button reading “Mainers Can’t Eat Rock Salt.”
“They’re afraid of a waitress in the House and a logger in the United States Senate,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “So they want to critique how he talks, how he looks, the way he says things – because if you’re not one of them, they at least want you to act like you are.”
Jackson suggests that the money brought home by a respectable senator is less meaningful than the top-to-bottom change – Medicare-for-All, ending wars and support for Israel – that he and his progressive allies could achieve.
AP: Hundreds turn out for Ocasio-Cortez rally with Troy Jackson in Maine
He and Ocasio-Cortez dedicated a lot of the event to calls for changing America’s priorities from foreign conflicts to domestic cost of living issues.
Ocasio-Cortez said the nation’s spending priorities are leaving working people behind by focusing on war. “How are we going to afford Iran, how are we are going afford Gaza, when our people back home can’t eat, can’t afford health care, can’t afford to build a bridge to get to work,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
CBS: Maine Sen. Candidate Troy Jackson holds town hall with AOC
Taurean Small: A number of folks that I talked to coming out of this said that they felt energized and they feel that this is the time for Democrats to strike while the iron is hot.
AOC: One of the things that I find so mind-boggling is that whenever we want to expand healthcare in this country, Medicare in this country, education, everyone's first question in Washington is, ‘We have no money, how are we going to pay for this? As though the richest nation in the history of the world is a pauper right now.
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