Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.
Democrat Troy Jackson is racing to scale up from a small third-place gubernatorial bid to a U.S. Senate campaign with national reach in a matter of weeks, an undertaking that has no precedent in Maine political history.
Jackson became the party’s nominee July 25 after Graham Platner’s campaign collapsed following rape allegations from an ex-girlfriend. That left Jackson, who ran a comparatively small bid for governor, with days to assemble the infrastructure campaigns typically spend months building with roughly three months left in a race with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins projected to draw nearly $400 million in advertising.
Jackson’s team is hiring beyond the handful of staffers who stayed on from his gubernatorial run, bringing on Democrats with Maine roots as well as others from out of state with experience in major races, according to multiple sources familiar with the campaign’s efforts. He is also relying on those who worked for or supported former rivals.
Hilary Barrett, who served as Nevada state director for former President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, is Jackson’s campaign manager. More than 100,000 people have donated to the campaign in a few weeks, and hundreds of new volunteers have signed on, which Democrats point to as a sign of enthusiasm.
“One of the biggest challenges — do you know who to call and do you have relationships in various parts of the state — he’s got that down,” J.J. Balaban, a Democratic strategist and admaker based in Philadelphia, said. “It’s just a lot of jobs you have to fill 90 days before an election.”
Balaban and Democratic consultant Emily Cain, who beat Jackson in a 2014 congressional primary, said the candidate’s hiring spree mirrors what new nominees often face in states with later primaries, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
“It feels more urgent here because of the pivot, … but he’s doing exactly what every person who becomes a Senate nominee should do: staff up, get new polling, raise more money and raise your profile,” Cain said.
Longtime Democratic spokesperson David Farmer, who supported eventual winner Hannah Pingree in the gubernatorial primary, has joined Jackson’s campaign. Kayla vanWieringen, who led former public health chief Nirav Shah’s campaign for governor, is a key figure in this race as the Maine Democratic Party’s coordinated campaign director.
The state party said last week that more than 1,000 people had signed up to get involved in the race, including volunteers who made calls and canvassed at more than a dozen weekend events across the state.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen an incredible amount of energy from Democrats across Maine, and now we’re putting that energy to work,” vanWieringen said.
The Jackson campaign said in a statement that Mainers are signing up daily “to knock doors, make calls and organize in their communities — including longtime Troy supporters, people who backed other candidates in the primary and first-time volunteers.”
“Building a full general-election operation on an accelerated timeline is a major undertaking, but people understand what is at stake after Susan Collins voted with Donald Trump 96% of the time,” a campaign spokesperson said.
The campaign points to the money gap as its biggest obstacle. Collins-aligned groups have outspent Democrats on ads by about $30 million since Jackson became the nominee, according to AdImpact.
Republicans have sought to tie Jackson to Platner’s controversies, including offensive social media posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo and allegations of violent behavior toward women. Jackson has faced his own scrutiny over past behavior and earlier conservative stances, but many Augusta lawmakers who have clashed with him over policy have rallied behind his campaign.
Collins spokesperson Shawn Roderick said Jackson’s rapid buildout will be “focused on politics,” calling the race a choice “between experience and uncertainty, between proven leadership and political turmoil.”
Collins has emphasized her legislative record and history securing federal funding for Maine. After three recent polls showed her trailing Jackson narrowly, her campaign released an ad Tuesday blaming him for rising electricity, housing costs and lower education ratings during his time in Augusta.
Jackson is leaning on progressive organizers and labor leaders who backed him previously, including some who connected with him through his ties to Platner or supported him as a second choice to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows in the governor’s race.
Megan Johnson, an organizer with the progressive Maine People’s Alliance, said she couldn’t imagine how difficult the transition from a gubernatorial race to a Senate contest in a few weeks has been. But she said many volunteers energized by Platner’s grassroots campaign are now shifting to Jackson.
“They’re definitely trying to bring that community feel,” Johnson said. “I’m definitely seeing the excitement build and people who were involved in the Platner team are getting involved with Troy.”