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Troy Jackson Fires Up Supporters, Takes Questions At Packed Lewiston Town Hall
LEWISTON, ME — Last night, fifth-generation logger, former Maine Senate President, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson fired up a packed crowd in Lewiston and answered questions directly from Mainers.
Jackson invited Susan Collins to join him onstage — and even saved her a seat. But the No Show Senator was nowhere to be found, continuing her 25-year streak of avoiding public town halls and refusing to answer directly for her record.
Read the local coverage of Troy’s Lewiston town hall below:
Bangor Daily News: Troy Jackson fires up supporters and faces questions at Lewiston town hall
“There are more people out there looking for a better government than people who are holding us back,” Jackson told a packed crowd of almost 400 at the Franco Center in Lewiston after sharing stories about his upbringing in a logging family.
“I see people standing up and fighting for a better government,” he said, speaking next to an empty chair he said was meant for an invited Collins. “It is time for a change.”
“This isn’t about Troy Jackson,” he responded […] “It’s about people around this state that know there’s something fundamentally wrong.”
Asked whether he had a strategy to convert Trump voters, Jackson cited his track record of success in rural, conservative regions. Democrats “have a lot of work to do to bring working-class people back into the fold,” he said, but “you have to be someone who gives a s— about people.”
NewsCenter Maine: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson holds his first campaign town hall
“People with power and influence always have the upper hand. The only way that you get what you deserve is by taking it -- taking it together,” he said.
Jackson argued for Democrats retaking control of Congress to rein in the president. “A big part of this is about taking the majority back, so we can get a Congress that actually does oversight,” Jackson said. “It’s such a big deal to get the Senate and House back, so we can be that check on Trump.”
“What I see right now in this state, in this country, is people that are standing up and fighting for a better government than they have,” Jackson said. “People are working harder and harder than ever, and they’re getting less and less.”
Jackson said he has now held one town hall after 30 days of campaigning, and that’s more than Collins has held in 30 years.
“This is what representative government is supposed to be,” Jackson said, standing next to an empty chair he said he saved for Collins at the Franco Center in Lewiston.
In response to a question about who he’d work with, Jackson said, “anyone that’s going to be willing to do [...] whatever we think is good for the people in the state of Maine and the people in this country.”
“I think Democrats have a lot of work to bring working class people back into the fold,” he said when asked how he’d convert swing or Republican voters.
WMTW: Troy Jackson Holds First Public Town Hall in Lewiston
I don't know if we can stop [data centers], but we need to make sure we are not paying more in electric rates because of data centers coming in. We need to make sure that our water rates are protected," said Jackson.
Jackson also spoke on ICE operations, and said the agency should be abolished. He said it is not needed to handle immigration enforcement. He also blamed Collins for not using her "power" as chair of appropriations to rein in ICE and Trump administration policies.
While on stage, Jackson said he would like to debate Sen. Susan Collins, and that she was invited to Tuesday's town hall. Jackson said he wants to have two town hall-style debates with the incumbent.
Maine Public: Hoping to energize Senate bid, Troy Jackson holds first town hall
The Allagash native told the audience Tuesday that the experience was formative and led him to become an advocate for workers, which he said helped him win legislative races in an increasingly conservative district. He said Democrats have work to do to win over working-class voters. When he was asked about winning over Trump voters, Jackson said, "I think you have to be someone who gives a s— about people to win, that's what I think."
Jackson also took several shots at Collins and tried to cast her as a calculating politician who "counts votes" before deciding whether or not to support President Donald Trump's agenda or cabinet nominees.