PRESS RELEASE
Troy Jackson Captures Attention Campaigning Across Maine And Hitting The Airwaves
PORTLAND, ME — Fifth-generation logger, former Maine Senate President, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson is capturing the attention of local and national media in the week leading up to Election day, campaigning across Maine with Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
See the coverage from Senator Kelly’s visit below:
News Center Maine: Arizona US Senator Mark Kelly visits Maine to campaign for Troy Jackson
“Our time is now! And that is why I’m so excited to be here!” Jackson told the crowd. “People know that the government is broke. It's been broke for a long time, and they want change, and I'm seeing that all across the state.”
“You guys have an opportunity to elect real leaders that will be working for most of Americans, not the one percent. You have the opportunity to like Troy Jackson,” Kelly said. “Right now, half of families are having a hard time affording food. We need leaders in the United States Congress that are going to fight for those families, and Troy Jackson is that leader.”
"I actually think the odds are on our side," said Kelly. Kelly is no stranger to tight races. In 2020, the Navy veteran and former astronaut flipped a Republican seat in Arizona in a special election and went on to hold his seat, winning re-election in 2022.
"To have a federal government that works with the state so that we can put forward policies that help people, people are really inspired right now, and they want it too. They want change," said Jackson.
Portland Press Herald: Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly rallies Maine Democrats for Troy Jackson in Freeport
“The system is still working — it’s just not working for you,” Kelly told a crowd of nearly 400 people while standing on a countertop. “You know what it’s working for? The people writing the rules, the rich, the powerful, the predators in the Epstein files. And the people who kissed Donald Trump’s ass. That’s who it works for.”
“They want to make us feel like we’re something less,” Jackson said. “I just had that today with Bill Green. Yeah, I know what a cord would cost. I sure do. And a lot of people right now are trying to figure out how they’re going to heat their homes. … But we’re going to build something different that is actually going to stand up for people. And I’m excited about that.”
Bangor Daily News: Mark Kelly brings 2028 buzz to Maine rally for Troy Jackson
“The election here in a week is not going to be about Donald Trump,” he said. “It’s about you. You know better than anybody what it’s like to worry about your kids, your future, your health care, your budget, your freedom.”
Kelly told the crowd that elections are “not rocket science” and urged supporters to knock on doors and make calls. He said that despite Jackson’s steep spending gap with Republicans in the Maine race, “the odds are on our side.”
Vanessa Smith, a 56-year-old artist from Raymond, said she once voted for Collins but is now “completely appalled at the state of our country.” She cited what she called attacks under Trump on religious freedom and minorities. “Mr. Trump is a bit of a bully and disgusting if things don’t go his way,” she said. “I’m just looking for a more happy, joyous, honest America.”
WGME: Troy Jackson busy on campaign trail as Senate race hits home stretch
Just down Route 1 in Brunswick, Jackson held a meet and greet with veterans along with a sitting U.S. Senator he hopes to join in Washington. “We got like, five days to win this election to send him to the United States Senate,” Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) said. It’s another national endorsement for Jackson, the Democratic candidate in the race.
If elected to the U.S. Senate, Jackson says he will do what he did as State Senate President and look out for working class Mainers like himself. “What I have is deep desire to help people in this country get quality affordable healthcare, get prescription drugs, childcare and I’m not going to be catering to the billionaires like Susan Collins does,” Jackson said.
News Center Maine: Sen. Mark Kelly joins Troy Jackson on the trail once again
Phil Hirschkorn: [Kelly] had a lot to say about President Trump and the need for stronger accountability and oversight that he said has been lacking under Republican control of the House and Senate in Washington, he endorsed Jackson, praised his leadership qualities, and afterward, Jackson and Kelly talked to us about the the need, in their opinion, for Democrats to retake that Senate majority.
Mark Kelly: There are folks in the United States Congress, in the House and the Senate, that will not stand up to this President regardless of what he decides to do, whether it's take us to war or fire people from the veterans' healthcare system, and it's not right.
Troy Jackson: Senator Kelly's one of the people that are pushing back, and I want to be there helping him get our democracy back, get our government back, get things in place that actually helps everyday people instead of the billionaire class.
In remarks to fellow veterans at Flight Deck Brewing, Kelly painted a picture of the rich investing in crypto currency and a new ballroom at the White House. “The country that we all risked our lives for is supposed to work for all of us,” he said. The Navy veteran and astronaut visited Maine this week as part of a final push by Jackson.
“Troy is a man of the working man,” Loudermilk said. “He has definitely supported labor. He's one of the only politicians who supported us in the Baileyville strike. I’m here to support Troy like he was there to support us.”
Jackson told reporters he’s optimistic heading into Election Day. “Right now, all those people who probably felt like they’ve been left behind and all that, right now I think they believe it is their time and they can change it and they are showing up,” he said. “I think we’re going to see something pretty crazy on Election Day.”
WMTW: “Troy Jackson hit the campaign trail Wednesday with less than a week away from Election Day”
"What I have is a deep desire to help people in this country get quality affordable healthcare, get prescription drugs, childcare, and I'm not going to be catering to billionaires like Susan does," Jackson said.
Watch Troy on MS NOW with Jacob Soboroff here, or see highlights below.
Troy Jackson: People are coming out to events like crazy. They know that this government is totally fundamentally broken, and they want to change. And they know that Susan Collins is voting with Donald Trump 96% of the time. And when he wants something from her, it's not good for us, and they want that to change.
Troy Jackson: There's an energy like I've never seen, and we're going to win this race because not because we have more money, it's because we have more people that know the government needs to work for them, should work for them, and they know that I'm the one to do it for them.
Troy Jackson: People in Maine know that I'm fighting for them. I fight for economic issues. I think if you're a Republican or Democrat, that's what you want. You want somebody to stand up for you and fight for your family to be able to do better. And that's what I've always done. And that's what I'll do in the U.S. Senate.
Watch Troy on MS NOW’s The Weeknight here, or see highlights below.
Troy Jackson: Since I've been a young boy, in the seventh grade, I've watched people with power and influence talk down to you know people I cared about: my father, other loggers, and nothing's changed in my world. That's how we are treated. But I'm fine, I don't really care. I'm not working for people like Senator Collins. I'm not working for the billionaire class. I'm working for people here in Maine that can't afford to heat their home, can't afford their health insurance, prescription drugs, child care, all these things that Senator Collins and Donald Trump have made so much harder over the last couple of years.
Troy Jackson: The reality is that we're losing way more money in this state because of her than the pittance that she brings in being the chair of appropriations. [...] That's why I got into leadership because I was sick of the constant turning their backs on working class people. So look, people might not know my record as well, but I've fought for everyday working class people to have health care, prescription drugs, child care, property tax reform, and there's nothing that I'm not going to fight for in the U.S. Senate. I'm not going there to really make friends. I'm going there to deliver for the people that I care about.
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