Troy Joins Maine Calling To Take Live Questions From Mainers While Collins Refuses

Troy Jackson: “At the end of the day, this campaign is for anyone and everyone who wants to beat Susan Collins and Donald Trump and have a government that works for them.”

PORTLAND, ME — Fifth-generation logger, former Maine Senate President, and Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson joined Maine Public Radio’s Maine Calling show yesterday, taking live questions from Mainers about the policy issues that matter most to them. Candidates up and down the ballot agreed to interviews on the show this week, but Susan Collins refused — continuing her 25 year streak of refusing to take unscreened questions from voters.

Listen to the full interview here, or see below for highlights:

On Susan Collins choosing Trump over Mainers:

Well, I don't think it's good for Maine. It’s not about her position or anything like that. It's about the fact that she's voting with Donald Trump 96% of the time. She was making sure that the Big Beautiful Bill was passed. [...] It cut SNAP benefits, it cut $3 billion out of our Medicaid system here in Maine, [...] she's losing more money than she's bringing in.
Our healthcare, Iran war, tariffs — all these things are costing the state way more money than Susan Collins can ever bring in. [...] She could have done a lot as chair of appropriations, but she's scared to death to go against Donald Trump, and because of that, we're getting fleeced.

On protecting Social Security for Mainers:

What we need to do [on social security] is we need to remove the cap so that wealthy people pay in at the same rate that working class people do. Not only is that going to make the Social Security fund solvent, but it would mean that we'd actually have more money to actually increase the benefits for people that have worked hard their entire life and now, in this economy, are really struggling. Now that’s something that Collins absolutely is against doing, because it you know means that the billionaire class has to pay more, which is something that she seems to be fighting for all the time.
I'm not fighting for billionaires. I'm fighting for everyday working class people in Maine that have been left behind. And we have to make sure that this fund is protected, not privatized, not given away to the billionaires.

On Collins siding with her billionaire donors:

Susan Collins doesn't want to talk about her record because while I've fought to cut taxes and lower costs for Maine families, Collins has been giving tax cuts to billionaires. [...] Senator Collins is giving money to military contractors so that she can get money into her campaign coffers. I just find the hypocrisy here is just unbelievable. [...] She's making sure that a pay-for-play deal just puts money into her campaign.
But I've always been for property tax reform and getting property tax money back to people. It's a stark difference in this race. I mean, one person wants billionaires to have income tax cuts. I've always fought for property tax cuts.

On Collins refusing to answer to her record:

I believe that that's what a good legislator should do. Senator Collins hasn't taken a direct question in 25 years. She hasn't been in a town hall. She won't come on this program. I don't think if you want to be a legislator, if you want to be a U.S. Senator, that's the way that you should approach it. People have a right to know how you feel on issues, and they have a right to tell you how they feel about issues.

On harnessing a people-powered movement in Maine:

I've been waiting a long time for a moment where everyday people could stand up and fight for a change in their government, and I think we're in it right now. I've seen something that's really really exciting for me to be a part of, and it's not just happening in Maine. I think you're seeing it all across the country. Not only can we win this race, but I think we can change the way that our government's going, and I'm really excited about that.
I've been getting elected in Aroostook County, which is a moderate area – It's actually, you can probably say a conservative area now – because I fight for economic issues for people. I fight for small business owners. We fight for people that need healthcare, prescription drugs, childcare. […] For me, it's about economics. It's always been about economics. That's the things that I lean into the most.
At the end of the day, this campaign is for anyone and everyone who wants to beat Susan Collins and Donald Trump and have a government that works for them.

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