Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson is seeking to downplay his ties to the far left, rejecting the socialist moniker despite previously receiving the backing of radical streamer Hasan Piker and the Maine chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
“I don’t really consider myself anything. I’m upset a lot at the Democratic Party. What I know is I fight for working-class people,” Jackson told CNN’s Manu Raju when asked if he sees himself as a socialist.
Jackson quickly emerged as the grassroots’ favorite pick to replace scandal-scarred oyster farmer Graham Platner, who dropped his bid after facing a rape accusation that he denied.
Lefty activists surmised that Jackson, who led the Maine Senate from 2018 through 2024, had similar views to those of Graham, with whom he campaigned repeatedly.
“[I]f the dem establishment think [sic] that they can risk the senate majority by not replacing platner with an acceptable substitute – we will be risking a loss to susan collins,” Piker declared on X during the frenzy to replace Platner. “[T]roy jackson is him!”
Piker, who is notorious for saying in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11” — remarks he later regretted because they gave his conservative critics ammunition against him — has emerged as a political hot potato for Democrats.
Piker’s ties to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed have complicated Democrats’ efforts to hold onto the Michigan Senate seat and inspired an onslaught of GOP attacks that have led to other Dems keeping their distance.
“No, I honestly had never. I actually didn’t know a lot about him either,” Jackson told Crooked Media’s “What a Day” podcast of Piker earlier this month.
During his run for governor, the Maine DSA endorsed Jackson, something he proudly touted on social media back in May.
“To the loggers, farmers, teachers, truck drivers, nurses, postal workers, shipbuilders, childcare providers, and everyone else who makes this state run while getting run down in the process: let’s take back what’s ours,” he posted on X at the time.
Jackson ultimately finished in third place in the Maine Democratic gubernatorial primary. His allies now note that the Maine DSA hasn’t endorsed in the Senate race.
The national chapter of the DSA has effectively called for abolishing the executive branch, the Senate, and making the Supreme Court subservient to Congress.
“No,” Jackson told MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” when asked whether he backs the national DSA platform. “But, I mean, what I do support is a government that works for everyday people.”
Part of why Jackson wooed the grassroots left was because he led Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign efforts in Maine.
Sanders later repaid the effort by backing Jackson in the Maine governor’s race and now the Senate contest.
Jackson currently has a 1.8 percentage-point edge over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), according to the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. However, Collins has a history of massively overperforming polling expectations.
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