Troy Jackson wins democratic nomination for Maine Senate

[0:00] Troy Jackson is now the Democratic nominee for the Senate race in Maine. He just received 566 [0:06] delegate votes at the convention in Bangor. His opponent, Sondra Pelletier, received only five. [0:13] Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger, and he is the former president of Maine's [0:17] state Senate. And before this week, he did not have much name recognition at all outside of [0:22] the state. There was a University of New Hampshire poll taken before Jackson secured the nomination [0:27] and found that he has a slight lead now over incumbent Republican Susan Collins in a hypothetical [0:33] matchup in November. It is an early indication that this race may be even more competitive [0:38] than expected. Collins is pursuing her sixth term as senator and has spent decades cultivating an image [0:45] of being an independent Republican, somebody who's willing to buck her own party when necessary, [0:49] but that does not necessarily line up with her vote. She has voted with Donald Trump more times than not [0:55] when it really matters. And you know what? Voters in Maine are picking up on that. I spoke to some [1:00] folks even here in New York, on the upper west side of Manhattan a couple weeks ago. Here's one of [1:04] them. Here's what one of them said about Susan Collins. She has a habit of, quote, being very concerned. [1:15] Concerned. Always. Susan Collins is always concerned. [1:17] About certain issues. And then she ends up voting 90% of the time. [1:25] With Trump. With Trump. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's her line, right? Like, I'm concerned. [1:29] Yeah. So at the point where I know where, what somebody is going to say and what somebody is going [1:34] to do, I can judge that against whomever is a possible candidate. [1:40] And that is an exact line that Troy Jackson used in his speech today. Susan Collins has survived election [1:49] after election despite that concern, even as Maine has grown increasingly blue in presidential races. [1:55] And, you know, while being politically experienced is not usually viewed as a bad thing, new polling shows [2:00] that a lot of Americans are craving change. There's a Fox News poll. It found that more than 80% [2:06] of registered voters say they want some level of change in government. That is the kind of political climate [2:12] that makes even seasoned incumbents like Susan Collins pay attention, if not freak out. Incumbents don't [2:20] just run against challengers. They run against their own record. And more importantly, they run against [2:23] the mood of the country. And you guys know what that is. Economic concerns and the war with Iran, [2:31] all this stuff is top of mind for voters right now. And it is creating this enormous pressure for [2:35] Republicans and for President Trump. And Republicans like Susan Collins have to walk a very delicate line [2:40] at this point of supporting the president while also appeasing her own voters who are struggling to put [2:46] food on the table all across Maine. And there's even more polling that suggests Democrats might now have [2:52] the edge. Check this out. Emerson College. It's a survey of likely 2026 voters. It finds the Democrats [2:58] have an 11-point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot. And that is why a state [3:05] with less than 2 million residents is suddenly one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in all of [3:11] America. The great Chris Janssing, MSNOW's chief political reporter, remains in Maine and is watching [3:16] this for us up close in Bangor. Chris, it's an exciting day in Maine. [3:21] Unbelievable. And you know what I was watching? I was watching the mood of the people as they left. [3:28] And I saw virtually everyone smiling, virtually everyone deep in conversation. And you just missed [3:35] it. Jacob, there was a group of union members who were singing a union song there. And I've talked [3:41] about the fact that the ground game that they provide will be critical to this. But look, [3:46] there was one Democrat close to Troy Jackson who said to me that what he's been through is somewhere [3:52] between a high wire act and a moon landing in terms of challenges. There's a huge challenge ahead. [3:58] But in many decades of covering politics, there's two things I always look for. One is know your [4:05] audience. And if you listen to that speech Troy Jackson gave, he definitely knows who his audience is. [4:11] He said, people like us, we're not supposed to have power. That resonates in such a profound way in [4:20] parts of the state that are struggling. And anyone who knows people and understands people are struggling. [4:28] Let me play just a little more of the point he made that really speaks, I think, to what I'm hearing [4:34] from Mainers. Take a listen. Working people, despite all of our challenges, [4:41] are not powerless. You know, we're only made a few powerless when we stand alone. And that is what [4:47] they try and do is divide us. And that's why I entered public life, you know, fought for working [4:53] people in the legislature and in the main Senate. And it's why I'm running for the United States Senate [4:59] today. And he said to the people in this audience watching on TV and here in this room, if you have [5:07] been ignored, if you have been underestimated, join our campaign. I think there's a second thing that a lot [5:14] of people have been watching for because he's coming in to succeed someone late in the game [5:20] who was believed to have extraordinarily, extraordinary political gifts. But some [5:26] people can rise to the occasion. It's what folks are looking for. He gave a strong speech. He gave a [5:32] speech that did what he needed it to do, which was to get these folks fired up. And I think he also [5:38] spoke very strongly to the moment we're in. He talked about reproductive rights. He talked about [5:44] giving people a fair shake. He talked about concerns about billionaires coming in and making decisions [5:51] for people who are doing the hard work. And he talked a little bit about his own history in fighting [5:57] for equality for every working person in Maine and how his time as a logger really informed the rest of [6:06] the way he has gotten involved in politics. Now, he has not always been successful in politics. [6:11] He has not always been a prolific fundraiser. And those are things that his campaign is very aware [6:17] of and that the Democratic Party is aware of. But there is one point I will make that I keep hearing [6:24] again and again from people out there who are under no illusion this is going to be an easy race [6:28] against Susan Collins, but who believe that he can win. It's that he has people who have wanted to [6:36] get involved. The question is, can he take it, which it seems today he could, can he grow it and can he [6:43] sustain it, which is the key to all political campaigns. And that's the challenge ahead in just an [6:50] extraordinarily intense 101 days that he has ahead of him, Jacob. [6:55] It's almost crazy to think that tomorrow is 100 days out to the midterm elections. Everybody make [7:01] sure to stay tuned to this very network. It's at 4 p.m. Eastern time. Chris Janssen will be hosting a [7:06] very special hour of coverage from right there in Bangor, Maine. So I'll let you go because I know [7:10] you've got to get ready. And I'm sure I know Chris Janssen. Go ahead. Go ahead. I'm going to have the [7:16] first one-on-one interview with Troy Jackson. I knew it. And so you can hear from him between [7:21] four and five o'clock. I got it. Of course, Chris Janssen got the first one-on-one. I was begging just [7:27] now at the end of the last hour. I said, if anybody's watching, tell them to call us now. And you know what [7:30] they said? Nope, nope. We're going to be on with Chris Janssen. So you scoot me again, Chris. You're the best. [7:41] You're the best.