What were you doing in the late 90s? If you’re Troy Jackson, you were leading a blockade at the Maine-Canada border to protect loggers from exploitation. Jackson, running against incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R) in Maine’s Senate race, says this experience inspired him to be a voice for everyday people.
Sitting down with Tim, Jackson shares his “why” for running, outlines Maine’s healthcare system crisis, and highlights the top four voter issues that arose during his town hall meetings. He also explains why he names Susan Collins as a senator for the “ultra-wealthy,” not the people of Maine.
Listen to his interview with Tim to get all the details and more.
Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from northern Maine who served in the Maine Senate for twenty years, won in a Trump/Collins district, and served as president of the Maine State Senate for six years.
The following transcript has been edited for formatting purposes.
Tim Dickinson
Hey, this is Tim Dickinson for The Contrarian. Our guest today is the Democratic candidate for Senate from the great state of Maine. Troy Jackson, welcome to The Contrarian.
Troy Jackson
Hey, thanks very much, I appreciate it. Great to be on here. I’ve been called out a couple times.
Tim Dickinson
Now, Troy, a lot of folks nationally know you as the guy who replaced Graham Platner, but don’t know much about your bio and your, you know, long service to the state. Can you just tell us a bit about yourself?
Troy Jackson
Yeah, sure, I mean, you know, I mean, I grew up, northern Maine, right on the Canadian border. You know, I come from a logging family, I’m fifth generation, You know, I watched a lot during my life growing up, how people with a lot of power in the logging industry held people back, held communities back. And, and, you know, when I got into… started working in the industry myself, the same thing, I watched that happen. You know, in 98, a group of us, got together and tried to get our local officials and state officials to, Enforce the existing laws. And Susan Collins was in her first term, and she was senator, and they didn’t want to have anything to do with us, and we ended up blocking the border for the week, the Canadian border for a week, and that’s really where my eyes, you know, at 29 years old, got open to the fact that government doesn’t work for people That don’t have the bigger checkbooks. And so, ever since then, I’ve been trying to change that, be a voice for everyday people. And that’s why, I mean, you know, if people don’t want to hear more about it, they can go to jacksformain.com to see my history.
Tim Dickinson
And you were the president of the State Senate, so you’ve got a long tenure in elected office as well.
Troy Jackson
Yeah, well, I mean, like I said, that’s what forced… well, got me prompted to run for politics. I mean, I really wasn’t somebody that ever thought about that before. But yeah, I mean, I ran, got elected, and, you know, built my way up to Senate President, because I wanted to try and, Get a majority of people that had the same like-minded, you know, working-class people, union members, things like that, that understood that, you know, we deserved to have a government that worked for us.
Tim Dickinson
And I take it you see Susan Collins as someone who’s working for the Big Pocket Books.
Troy Jackson
Yeah, I mean… it’s clear, very clear now, I mean, you know, she’s voting with Trump 96% of the time, she’s given tax cuts to the wealthiest people in this country, I mean, the ultra, ultra-wealthy. And and she’s done it on the backs of, our healthcare system. I mean, we are in crisis here in Maine with healthcare, and and, you know, what you’re seeing with the tariffs, what you’re seeing with the Iran war, you know, all these things are, you know. how she caters to Donald Trump and the wealthy. So yeah, you know, I mean, I’ve known her most of my life. You know, she’s not someone that stands up for everyday working-class people, and I know that firsthand.
Tim Dickinson
Yeah, she seems to be perpetually concerned about what’s happening, but doing absolutely nothing to block it. Medicare for All is at the top of your agenda. I want to talk about that, because it’s that can be a little radioactive in this country, besides the fact that every other industrialized nation in the world seems to have it. So, help us understand why this is so important to you, and how you see yourself as being able to promote that in the Senate.
Troy Jackson
Well, I mean, I think it’s radioactive because, you know, the wealthy people in this country, try and make it radioactive, make sure that, you know, everyday people are divided about it. But, you know, living on the Canadian border, you know, I’ve watched Canadians have universal healthcare, have low-cost prescription drugs. I mean, a lot of my constituents used to go to Canada to get prescriptions. I haven’t had a Canadian in my life tell me that they don’t like their healthcare system, and you know, and I think it’s just… clear to me that in this country, Big Pharma and the healthcare industry are hypocrites, and you know, want to try and make it so that everyday people don’t think that this is good for them. I actually… I think this is probably the biggest thing that we can do, as a country, is provide, you know, healthcare that people can depend on. And if you don’t, you know, if you want to keep your regular plan, fine, but, you know, too many of us are struggling with healthcare, don’t have healthcare at all, and I think this would be an awesome way to make people’s lives better. So I’m gonna fight hard for it. This is the number one thing for me. I mean, I do find it hypocritical, too, that Everyone… in government, you know, in state and federal government that argues about healthcare, argues about who else in this country should benefit from healthcare, are all arguing that point while they’re on government-sponsored healthcare. I find that to be quite a… quite a hypocrisy, that I don’t know how they look themselves in the face. And the mayor…
Tim Dickinson
The big, beautiful bill, so-called, that Susan Collins cleared the way for had some massive Medicaid cuts. How is that impacting Maine?
Troy Jackson
Well, I mean, obviously, it’s impacting us big time, and I think, what you’re seeing is, healthcare executives that know how much worse it’s gonna get, because they designed it to go into effect after the midterms, which, again, is another… I mean, just incredible how devious people could be. And it upsets me greatly that Susan Collins talks about how she didn’t vote for it, but she let it out of committee. Well, that’s just the point right there. I mean, if you really thought that it was going to be such an awful thing, then you could have blocked it as the chair of appropriations, but she knew better. She was more interested in making sure that her wealthy benefactors got those tax cuts. That were coming on the back of our healthcare system, and I do. I mean, I’ve been to 4 different birthing centers that’s closed in the last 2 years. I’ve been to a whole bunch of nursing homes. I mean, we are in crisis in Maine in nursing homes. Hospitals have closed, and more will, you know, and it’s only starting to… I mean, it’s only going to get much worse, after the midterms, and, you know, and the other thing is people are losing their healthcare because they can’t afford it without subsidies. We are. This is… this is, like, the major issue in this country. I mean, yes, affordability on… but affordability on your healthcare is at a point where just so many people can’t… can’t do it, and… and the healthcare system is gonna crash.
Tim Dickinson
Speaking of deep pockets, Elon Musk seems to be coming, riding to the rescue here for Susan Collins in Maine. Tell us about that, and what you make of the influx of money from the world’s wealthiest man.
Troy Jackson
Yeah, well, I mean, I think this is what it all is about, really. I mean, you know, you provide tax cuts for the wealthiest people in this country, you give them government contracts, I mean, you do their bidding, and when, you know, times get tough, like they are right now, I mean, I wouldn’t defend my record if I was Susan Collins either, but when times get tough. You know, billionaires come in, failed trillionaires come in, and you know, spend the money that they need to buy the government, you know, keep it the way it is. And that’s exactly what you see. I mean, billionaires in the Epstein class that are fighting to make sure that Susan Collins continues to help them out, continue to block legislation that, you know, calls them out. While, you know, we’re… we’re on the ground here with a bunch of working-class people that know that this government doesn’t work for them, but we can’t… we don’t have enough money to buy it back.
Tim Dickinson
You had a big town hall last night, and I understand Susan Collins hasn’t done that in a while, but what’s the story there?
Troy Jackson
Yeah, well, that’s, I mean, the point is, like, everything for her is scripted, much like her voting pattern. You know, she counts the votes and throws one, you know, towards… everyday working class people, when it doesn’t count for anything. But these, you know, she gets on her bus every 6 years, and comes around, and has these, you know, little things that… she acts like she’s listening to people. You know, we had Town Hall last night, I mean, I’ve only been in this race 30 days, and already I’ve had one more than she’s had in the last 25 years.
Tim Dickinson
25 years.
Troy Jackson
Yeah. This, I mean… And why would you want to represent people if you’re not willing to listen to them, you know, hear them, talk to them? I mean, I just can’t get over the fact that anyone that’s elected is not willing to get out there and talk to constituents that, you know, I mean, yeah, obviously they may agree with you, but obviously they may not. And hearing that, back and forth like that, I think is what keeps people grounded. understanding what’s happening, and I think Susan has completely forgotten what’s hap… well, if she ever did know what’s happening, because… Her background. But, if she did know, she’d definitely forgotten it now.
Tim Dickinson
What kind of stuff came up at your town hall last night? Where are people at?
Troy Jackson
Well, healthcare was definitely, you know, a big one, Social Security, clock cameras, AI, you know, the AND, question that I got was, one that I certainly understood, too, was that You know, I didn’t build this movement of people, I mean, because I’ve been talking a lot about how, since I was 29 years old, I’ve been waiting for people across the state to stand up and fight for the government they deserve. And I’m seeing that now like I’ve never seen before, and you know, the question was, well, you know, you didn’t build this movement, and I said, no, I didn’t. You know, but I’m happy to be part of it, because it’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than anyone. It’s about the issues that we all know that fundamentally this country is going the wrong direction. And to be a part of that, to me, is something I’ve been waiting for for a long time. So, the whole thing was really good. I mean, you know, I’m the first one that, you know, I’ve done in this campaign, so, you know, a little bit nervous to start out, but it went extremely well, and you know, people were excited to… Ask those questions and, you know, hear a sincere, honest answer back to them.
Tim Dickinson
We have Labor Day coming up. I know you’re, I don’t know if you’re a current union member, cardholder, or a, anyhow, you have been. Talk to us about the importance of Labor Day to you, and what the labor movement in Maine looks like.
Troy Jackson
Yeah, I’ve actually been in 5 unions, currently still am in 3. I would have been in the other 2, except I don’t work in those positions anymore, so… So it’s a big deal, I mean… you know, I’m a working class person that believes strongly in the ability for people to get together and collectively bargain. I’ve watched in my career how, if you don’t have that strength, you can be singled out, used against each other, pitted against each other, and I think collective bargaining and unions It’s something that I am just 100% behind, and, you know, we… we actually did a picket this week over, for MEA for, the… community college teachers, and and Labor Day for me, is about getting out and, you know, talking to new people, but certainly, catching up with people that you haven’t seen. I mean, I talk about my labor family. And, you know, Labor Day is when, you know, we’re all… we all get a chance to get together and talk about what’s going on in this country and bring more people into the conversation. So it’s a big deal, we got a lot of stuff going on. Some of them I don’t even understand, but I’m… I’m excited about the whole weekend.
Tim Dickinson
Okay, well, you’ve got Canadian relations. It sounds like you’re no stranger to border disputes, but we’ve got Trump going after Canada like it’s the evil empire or something. What do you make of that, and what do you make of Susan Collins’ approach to it?
Troy Jackson
Yeah, well, I mean, it’s interesting because obviously, like I said, we… I mean, I got started, pushing back, against, Well, being on the border, and a lot of people now, the Collins campaign is trying to make it, like, anti-Canadian or whatever. Well, we were very clear back then it had nothing to do with, the Canadians, it had to do with American landowners, billionaire landowners, that were using a system to try and drive down wages for both of us, both sides, and that’s really what we were always fighting about, was, you know, a system that, you know, elected officials would not enforce the existing law. So, you know, I’ve worked with Canadians all my life, my ancestry comes from Canada, I’ve got relatives that live there now, and what we’re seeing with these terrorists is that it’s… it’s hurting both sides. I mean. You know, the Canadians are not coming for tourism over here for the second straight year, where tourism is down. The natural resource sector, logging, forest, fishing and farming. depend a lot on Canada. In my area, most of the wood goes to Canada. A lot of our parts are coming out of Canada, and just overall, you know, people buying commodities and things like that, the prices are much higher. So this, this blanket tariff thing that Trump does. is idiotic, the way he does it. One day it’s on, one day it’s off. Nobody can plan one way or the other. I mean, it’s just so erratic that it’s hurting both sides of the border. In an area that we depend on cross-border shopping and things like that. So, I mean, you know, this is not going to be helpful at all. I’m sure he’s probably got some people in his cabinet and family that’s playing the stock market, and that’s what, they’re doing here. But, you know, overall, for everyday people in Maine, this is really problematic.
Tim Dickinson
Well, Troy, I want to thank you for your time. Do you have any closing thoughts you want to leave with our viewers and our listeners, how they can get in touch with your campaign?
Troy Jackson
Yeah, I mean, biggest thing is that, you know, I think telling people, I mean. This is not… this is not America. I mean, the government is completely, you know, not working for everyday people, and we can change that, and I would hope people who go to JacksonForMaine.com and, you know, see our policy, see what we’re fighting for, and try and help us out.
Tim Dickinson
All right, Troy, thanks so much. We’ll see you back here on the Contrarian. Take it easy.
Troy Jackson
You too.
