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The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik has endorsed U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in her reelection bid against Democrat Troy Jackson, a first for the five-term Republican.
In a letter to Collins, Chief Pos Bassett of the tribe’s Pleasant Point reservation said the senator had worked “tirelessly to improve the economy of both the Passamaquoddy Tribe and community of Washington County” for 30 years.
The support marks a first for Collins, who has pushed for federal funding and several projects for the tribes. But she is not among the state and federal political figures, including Jackson, who have supported tribal sovereignty. Gov. Janet Mills has opposed it, but it is becoming a consensus issue among Democrats.
With the candidates still meeting with tribal leaders and more endorsements likely to come before Election Day, the new support from one of the two Passamaquoddy reservations is tied to the senator’s major pitch to voters that she brings federal dollars home.
Bassett said Collins met with Pleasant Point leaders last year to discuss imminent threats to the reservation’s wastewater treatment plant, due to increasing height of storm surges, shore erosion and rising tide levels. Failure would impact the tribal elder apartment complex, homes, businesses and the marine environment, he said.
“Susan stepped up and secured $5 million in federal funds to support our efforts to construct a new wastewater treatment plant and collection system — a vital and critical piece of community infrastructure,” the chief wrote. “Her ability to deliver has really made a difference in our community and we are so grateful.”
The senator in a statement said she was honored to receive the endorsement, adding that it was “a community that is so important to the culture of our state.”
“I look forward to our continued work together to ensure Maine’s tribes have the resources they need to strengthen their communities, protect their residents and build a stronger future,” she said.
The endorsement came a few days after Jackson — who was backed by the Mi’kmaq Nation Tribal Council during his third-place gubernatorial run — met with Wabanaki nation members on Indigenous People’s Day and held a virtual roundtable with tribal leaders. Other federally recognized tribes did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Senate race.
The Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 gave the tribes more than $80 million but allows the state to regulate them like towns and cities without the rights of federally recognized tribes in other parts of the country. Independent Sen. Angus King vocally opposed a proposal from U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree that would have let the tribes benefit from future laws on federally recognized tribes. Collins did not take a position on the initiative and has said such decisions are up to the Legislature and governor.
A Collins spokesperson said she supports tribes having governmental authority to manage their own affairs. She also has been willing to back extension of federal programs to the tribes even when involving jurisdictional powers, such as applying the Violence Against Women Act to the tribes.
If proposed changes at the state level require amendments to federal law, the senator will examine them closely to understand their impacts on Maine’s tribes, the spokesperson said.
Jackson in a video posted on X Monday said the federal government had let down Maine tribes throughout the state’s history. He pledged to be “the loudest” senator to get tribes “what every other federal tribe across this country has: the right to self-determination.”
“Just like in the [state] Senate, where Troy championed tribal issues by working to recognize the inherent sovereignty of the Wabanaki, improve water quality and family protections, and foster economic development, in the U.S. Senate Troy will fight for the Wabanaki Nations,” his campaign said in a statement.
The chiefs of Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, Penobscot Nation and Houlton Band of Maliseets announced endorsements for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree last week.