Historian Heather Cox Richardson described a Troy Jackson win as a step toward reclaiming American democracy Monday night in Portland.
“This is our moment,” the widely known scholar and Maine resident told a packed auditorium at the University of Southern Maine of the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee sitting beside her.
Known for her daily Substack “Letters from an American,” which boasts more than 3 million subscribers and connects daily headlines to long-term patterns in American history, Richardson has a public following rare to academics (so much so that her name was floated as a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate seat back when former Democratic nominee Graham Platner dropped out).
Taking the stage with Jackson, Richardson urged attendees to talk to their family and neighbors and ensure they are registered so they can vote in Maine’s Senate race and others that could be consequential for the balance of power in Congress.
The pair spoke about Jackson’s record as former president of the Maine Senate and his policy stances, notably his support for Medicare for All, universal childcare and an end to the Iran War.
Healthcare in particular was top of mind for Jackson, a former logger from Allagash, because his son’s partner recently gave birth to his first granddaughter.
“She was two weeks early, and if they had been up in Aroostook County where I live, I mean which could have happened, it’s about an hour and a half to get to the nearest birthing center,” he said, noting the closure of many across the state.
Richardson noted that several of Jackson’s pitches — for Congress to reclaim its authority and the U.S. Supreme Court to be reformed ethically — are about going back to a period when laws were enforced.
“I think you’re right,” she said. “We need to go back in order to go forward, and that’s the wonderful position we’re in. We’re reclaiming something old in order to create something new.”
Beside the academic, Jackson’s plainspoken nature and northern Maine dialect were on display, and he joked with the interpreters about whether they could understand him.
“He might not be the best speaker. He might not be the most polished person,” Mary Kay Weisenberger of Auburn said. But, she added, “He’s real — that’s what comes across when you come to these events.”
Weisenberger and her wife, Claire Hebert, had attended Jackson’s first town hall in Lewiston last month. Then, Hebert had been worried she would just be voting by default for Jackson, who replaced Platner in late July. On Monday night, she said, “Now I’m not.”
“Greed has become the end all and be all, and I believe Troy is above that,” Hebert said. “I hope he proves me right.”
Maine’s U.S. Senate race has become one of the most expensive midterm races in the country, drawing more than $110 million in advertising, according to a recent Washington Post analysis.
The night began with a surprise appearance by Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who is back in Maine on what she called the “Hegseth holiday,” after U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, introduced a resolution last week to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran War.
Pingree said, “nobody can out-authentic Troy.” While in Maine’s 1st Congressional District on Monday, Pingree also plugged the tight second district race, advocating for Democratic nominee Matt Dunlap over Paul LePage.
“We’re not going to fix the problems that we have unless we take back the House and the Senate,” Pingree said. She later added, “Do not make me get on a plane with Paul LePage.”