Troy Jackson

Troy Dale Jackson (born June 26, 1968) is an American politician and logger. He served in the Maine Senate from 2008 to 2014 and from 2016 to 2024, representing parts of northern Aroostook County. He was the Senate president and majority leader from 2018 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the party's nominee for the 2026 United States Senate election in Maine. Jackson started in politics during a 1998 logging blockade along the Canada–United States border, protesting the entry of Canadian temporary workers, who were being hired over Maine loggers, by blocking them from crossing the border. He first ran for office as a Republican, was first elected as an Independent, and then joined the Democratic Party in 2004. In 2002, Jackson was elected as an Independent to the Maine House of Representatives. He served three terms there and was elected to the State Senate in 2008. Jackson became the minority leader in 2016, and was chosen as the majority leader and Senate President after Democrats gained the majority in the 2018 election. He was a strong supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Jackson is a progressive Democrat and supports Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, ending arms sales to Israel, expanding worker rights, banning certain purchases by non-Maine firms of starter homes, and an increased lodging tax on out-of-state visitors. He strongly supports abortion rights and LGBTQ rights after having opposed them in his early career. Jackson was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 Democratic primary for Maine's 2nd congressional district, losing to Emily Cain. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Maine in 2026, finishing third in the Democratic primary with 29% of the vote. When Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the 2026 United States Senate election,...