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troy jackson
Troy Jackson Says He Would 'Never Vote’ for Military Aid to Israel if Elected to Senate
"Anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza," the Maine Senate candidate said.
10 Jul, 2026
As he runs to take the place of Graham Platner as the Democratic US Senate nominee for Maine, former State Senate President Troy Jackson affirmed that he was in step with the majority of Democratic voters and would oppose sending military aid to Israel as it commits what he called a "genocide" in Gaza.
Jackson, a longtime labor activist who finished third in the Democratic gubernatorial primary last month, has been floated by many progressives as a fitting replacement for Platner, who suspended his campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins this week following sexual assault allegations.
In his campaign announcement, Jackson hit many similar themes to Platner, who won the Democratic primary last month.
Jackson billed himself as a "progressive fighter" seeking to build a "powerful movement of working-class people" and emphasizing his support for Medicare for All and "tak[ing] on corporate power."
But some observers noted the absence of any mention of Gaza, which Platner emphasized heavily and which has become a central moral issue for many Democratic voters, who overwhelmingly oppose continued support for Israel as it commits what the majority feel is a genocide against Palestinians.
A review of Jackson's social media history showed that he had no posts about Gaza when he announced his campaign on Wednesday.
But following reports that an Israeli missile strike had killed a Palestinian aid worker who'd organized World Cup watch parties in Gaza, Jackson took the opportunity to make his stance clear.
"This is unconscionable," Jackson wrote on X. "Anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza. It has to end, and we as Americans have the power to end it."
"When I'm in the US Senate," he continued, "I’ll never vote in favor of US taxpayer-funded military aid to Israel."
Other leading candidates, most of whom ran for governor, have expressed a range of opinions about Israel's conduct.
Nirav Shah, a physician who led the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2019 to 2023 and finished second in the gubernatorial primary, has expressed a similarly strong stance that Israel was committing genocide and that he would support a full arms embargo and would refuse any campaign funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Shenna Bellows, who came in fourth place in the governor's race and currently serves as Maine's secretary of state, has not publicly expressed a clear opinion on support for Israel, though in her 2014 Senate run against Collins, she advocated more generally for “deep cuts in defense spending” so public money could be directed toward domestic projects.
The progressive group Our Revolution, which has thrown its support behind Jackson, commended the candidate for taking a forthright stance.
"Troy Jackson doesn’t do word salad," the group said. "He calls a genocide a genocide and says he’ll never vote for taxpayer-funded military aid to fund it. That’s what Maine voters delivered a historic win for on June 9."
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'I'll Be a Vote for Medicare for All': Troy Jackson Makes His Case After Platner Exit
"We may both be from Aroostook County, but we’re not the same," Jackson said of Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
09 Jul, 2026
Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from northern Maine who previously served as the state's Senate president, is making the case that he has the best shot at unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November following Graham Platner's exit from the race on Wednesday.
"There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate," Jackson wrote in a social media post on Wednesday, formally announcing his Senate run. "I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life—and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most."
"I’m in," he added. "And we're going to defeat Susan Collins. Maine deserves a senator that will fight for working families."
Jackson, who filed federal paperwork earlier this week to explore a US Senate bid as the Maine Democratic Party scrambled to construct a process to choose Platner's replacement ahead of the July 27 deadline, recently fell short in a highly competitive race for the Maine Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination.
But those who are rallying behind Jackson argue his economic populist messaging, union backing, support for Medicare for All, and appeal across broad swaths of Maine—including rural counties—make him the most sensible choice to take on Collins, who is running for a sixth term in the US Senate.
"Troy has spent his life fighting for working people," said the national progressive advocacy group Our Revolution, which rescinded its endorsement of Platner following the sexual assault allegation against him, which he denied.
Our Revolution noted that Jackson led Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) presidential campaigns in Maine in both 2016 and 2020. Jackson also appeared alongside Sanders and Platner at "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies during his gubernatorial bid.
"Long before this Senate seat became available, Troy had built a record of standing with workers, unions, and rural communities across Maine," said Our Revolution, which announced Wednesday that it is mobilizing volunteers across Maine to "ensure voters are represented by a candidate who reflects the agenda they overwhelmingly supported" during the Democratic primary process—a contest that Platner won handily.
I’ll be a vote for Medicare For All in the U.S. Senate.
Susan Collins, on the other hand, recently helped advance $990 billion in Medicaid cuts so the richest Americans could get another tax break.
We may both be from Aroostook County, but we’re not the same.
— Troy Jackson (@TroyJackson207) July 9, 2026
Jackson is one of several Democrats jumping at the opportunity to challenge Collins, who has enabled President Donald Trump's destructive legislative agenda and helped pave the way for the gutting of reproductive rights nationwide.
Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, formally announced on Thursday that he is launching a bid to replace Platner. Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state, said Tuesday that she is "seriously considering" entering the Senate race. (Like Jackson, both Shah and Bellows unsuccessfully ran for Maine's Democratic gubernatorial nomination.)
A flash poll commissioned by the Platner campaign earlier this week found that Jackson performed better than Shah and Bellows in hypothetical match-ups against Collins.
Christine Kirby, a spokeswoman for Jackson, told Drop Site on Tuesday that since the sexual assault allegation against Platner was made public, Jackson's team has received a torrent of calls and messages urging him to run for the Senate nomination.
“He is clearly the strongest option to replace Graham Platner and take on Susan Collins in the general election,” said Kirby. “This movement is greater than any one person, it’s about a coalition of Maine people fighting for a future that doesn’t have to belong only to the wealthy and powerful. And Troy is up for the fight.”
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Troy Jackson Files to Explore Senate Bid as Graham Platner Faces Growing Calls to Exit
"If Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him," said Jackson, the former Maine Senate president.
07 Jul, 2026
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson filed federal paperwork on Tuesday to explore a US Senate bid after a sexual assault allegation against current Democratic nominee Graham Platner prompted a torrent of calls for him to drop out of the race.
Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who lost Maine's Democratic gubernatorial primary last month, was among those urging Platner to end his Senate campaign following Politico's reporting late Monday, writing on social media that "there is no place in our politics for sexual violence."
In an interview with the Bangor Daily News, which first reported the news of Jackson's filing, the former gubernatorial candidate said that "if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I’m the best person to replace him.”
Platner denied the sexual assault allegation and, as of this writing, has yet to drop out of the race, though his departure is widely seen as a foregone conclusion as his most prominent supporters—including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—push him to exit. One unnamed source told The New York Times that Platner is seeking a "guarantee" that he "would be replaced by someone in agreement with 'the values and vision and policy agenda'" that he articulated throughout his campaign.
Jackson, like Platner, was endorsed by Sanders and has expressed support for Medicare for All, stronger union protections, wage increases, and other progressive priorities. In recent months, Jackson has joined Sanders and Platner at "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies where the former Maine Senate leader said American workers are being robbed by a billionaire class bent on enriching itself no matter the societal costs.
"I am running for the people who worked their entire lives and still can’t afford to retire because the economic system in this country is rigged against them," Jackson said during a Labor Day rally last year. "And I’m running for all the workers... who’ve been told that they’re replaceable and that their lives are disposable.”
Platner, who backed Jackson's gubernatorial bid, can be replaced as the Democratic nominee in the US Senate race against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins if he withdraws by July 13. By a process yet to be determined, the Maine Democratic Party would have until July 27 to select a replacement.
The New York Times reported that "the options under discussion include a convention or a statewide caucus in late July."
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