Troy Jackson (politician)

1998 logging blockade

In 1998, Jackson helped lead a logging blockade along the Maine–Canada border, with loggers from Maine physically blocking Canadian loggers from crossing the border at three border checkpoints.^[8]

According to Jackson, the group of American loggers had filed 137 complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor criticizing the hiring of temporary Canadian workers before the blockade, all of which were denied.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

The border blockade that Jackson helped lead sparked controversy. Industrial timber owners and corporate forest groups strongly condemned the physical blockade of an international crossing. They said that using extralegal direct action set a dangerous precedent for both trade and for cross-border transit.^[14][15] Industry representatives said that the border blockade was a threat to the economic stability of Maine's forest products sector because it disrupted supply chains to regional mills.^[14] Trade groups said that the border blockade caused anti-Canadian sentiment that was not necessary, and that it could damage long-standing bilateral trade partnerships.^[15] Opponents of the blockade said that using bonded non-immigrant temporary foreign workers under the U.S. federal H-2A visa program was legal and that it was also necessary, and that local workers by themselves could not satisfy all of the labor needs of the Maine wood industry.^[15] Industry advocates also accused protest organizers of scapegoating Canadian laborers for macro-economic shifts and poor timber market conditions.^[15]

Politics

Jackson first ran, as a Republican, for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000 for Maine House District 151. He narrowly lost to Marc Michaud, a Democrat, 2,017–2,172.^[16]

Two years later, he was elected as an Independent to House District 151. He defeated the incumbent Michaud 2,171–1,176 in a race without any Republican candidate.^[17] He was the first non-Democrat to represent the area since 1978.^[18]

He joined the Democratic Party in early 2004.^[4] That year, after Maine's post-census legislative redistricting, Jackson ran for re-election in the new House District 1 as a Democrat. He won a resounding victory against Republican Paul Berube, by a margin of 3,486 to 1,248.^[19] He was re-elected to the State House unopposed in 2006.^[20]

In 2008, Jackson ran for and won Maine State Senate District 35, defeating Republican Daniel DeVeau 11,188–6,593.^[21] He would be re-elected in 2010 by defeating DeVeau 7,525–5,620 in a rematch, holding the seat amidst a Republican wave that saw the GOP claim its first government trifecta in Maine since 1963.^[22] He would be re-elected again in 2012 by a narrow 8,521–8,016 margin over Republican Peter Edgecomb.^[23] Democrats regained control of the Maine Senate in that election, and in December 2012, 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.^[24][25]

In June 2013, Jackson called governor Paul LePage "obstructionist" and "delusional" regarding discussions about the 2013–2014 state budget. LePage responded by saying that Jackson "claims to be for the people but he’s the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline", as well as saying Jackson “is a bad person” with “no brains” and a "black heart".^[26][27] In August 2016, Jackson angered LePage again, calling him racist, and LePage responded by calling Jackson a "son-of-a-bitch, socialist cocksucker."^[28]

On July 1, 2013, following incumbent Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud's decision to explore running for Governor, Jackson announced he would run for Maine's 2nd congressional district, which had been Michaud's seat since 2003.^[29] On June 10, 2014, Jackson lost the primary to fellow State Senator Emily Cain, receiving 21% of the vote to Cain's 79%.^[30] Cain would go on to lose the general election to Republican Bruce Poliquin.

On January 25, 2015, Jackson was elected as a member of the Democratic National Committee.^[31] 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.^[32]

In November 2016, Jackson was re-elected to the Senate, in what was now the 1st District, over Republican Timothy Guerrette and a week later he was chosen by his fellow Democrats to be the Senate Minority Leader.^[33][34] He would be re-elected as Senator of the 1st District in 2018, 2020, and 2022,^[35][36][37] becoming the Senate President as the Democrats would gain the majority in 2018 and retain it in 2020 and 2022.

Jackson left the Maine Senate following the 2024 election due to term limits. He was succeeded as Senator for the 1st District by Republican Susan Y. Bernard and as Senate President by Democrat Mattie Daughtry.

Gubernatorial campaign

On March 7, 2025, Jackson announced he was exploring a run for Governor of Maine in the 2026 election.^[38] On May 19, 2025, he announced his campaign at a launch event 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."^[39]

In a debate during the 2026 governor race, Jackson said to his opponent, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bobby Charles: "You're a little man." Charles responded: "Troy is living down to all the expectations I had for him."^[40]

Jackson received endorsements from 40 local Maine labor unions, as well as high-profile national progressives such as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna. In March 2026, he was endorsed by the Mi'kmaq Tribal Council, who cited Jackson’s long-time support for tribal sovereignty and his establishing a commission to examine the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act as reason for their endorsement.^[41][42]

Jackson was ultimately defeated in Maine's ranked-choice Democratic primary, finishing third on first preferences, and being eliminated on the third count with 29% of the vote.^[43] The primary was won by Hannah Pingree, whom Jackson had cross-endorsed along with fellow candidate Shenna Bellows.^[44]

U.S. Senate campaign

Jackson frequently campaigned with Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, and they cross-endorsed each other in their respective races. Platner won his primary, but less than a month later allegations that he raped a former partner were made. Jackson immediately distanced himself from Platner, rescinded his endorsement, and called on Platner to withdraw from the race.^[45] He also filed Federal Election Commission paperwork on July 7, 2026, to replace Platner.

After Platner announced his intention to withdraw as the nominee, Jackson announced his candidacy to replace him on July 8.^[46] He has been endorsed by U.S. representative from California Ro Khanna,^[47] socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, and the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).^[48][49]

Abortion rights

Early in his legislative career, Jackson initially held socially conservative positions on both abortion rights. In 2012, Jackson identified as anti-abortion, and said that abortion should be illegal in all cases except for rape or incest.^[50]

He attributed his views of the time to his Roman Catholic upbringing^[6], though he eventually changed his positions, becoming a staunch supporter of abortion rights.^[48][49]

Healthcare and worker rights

Jackson is an advocate for health care and worker rights, especially for fellow loggers. In 2010, Jackson wrote a bill which would have "prohibited the Maine Department of Conservation from employing foreign laborers at state-owned logging sites". It passed both the House of Representatives and the State Senate before being vetoed by Governor Paul LePage. LePage questioned the bill's constitutionality, while Jackson said that LePage was favoring large Canadian logging corporations over American workers.^[51]

LGBTQ rights

Early in his legislative career, Jackson initially held socially conservative positions on LGBTQ rights. In May 2009, Jackson voted against a state legislative bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine.^[52]

He attributed his views of the time to his Roman Catholic upbringing,^[6] and eventually changed his positions, becoming a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights.^[48][49]

Relationship with Sanders and Platner

During the 2016 presidential election, Jackson was a prominent supporter of Bernie Sanders' campaign, and cast his superdelegate vote for him at the Democratic National Convention.^[32] He introduced Sanders at a campaign rally before 8,000 supporters in Portland, Maine, on July 6, 2015.^[53] During the 2020 presidential election, Jackson again supported Sanders, and again addressed a Portland rally for Sanders on September 1, 2019.^[54] After the primaries, Jackson threw his support behind the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris.^[55]

Sanders endorsed Jackson's 2026 gubernatorial campaign on May 21, 2025, and headlined a Portland campaign rally for Jackson and 2026 U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, attended by 6,500 supporters on Labor Day.^[56][57] Jackson initially maintained a close political alliance with Platner, with the two frequently appearing at campaign rallies together and running in a ranked-choice voting alliance during the 2026 primary cycle. However, after multiple scandals involving Platner, including allegations that he raped a former girlfriend, Jackson has distanced himself from Platner.^[58][45]