Latest news with #TroyJackson
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Troy Jackson announces run for Maine governor
May 19—Former Senate President Troy Jackson announced Monday that he is running for governor of Maine. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger who served 20 years in the Legislature, had announced in March that he formed a committee to explore a possible run. The Democrat from Allagash joins what is expected to be a crowded primary field for both parties. Jackson, 56, said he wants to "build a Maine where working families get ahead, seniors can age with dignity, our environment is protected for future generations and our kids can afford to stay and build their future here at home." "I've spent the last few months meeting Mainers in union halls, diners, school cafeterias and town halls across the state who are tired of the status quo and feel under attack from billionaires, special interests, and their friends who control Washington. I got my start putting in 80-hour weeks in the woods of northern Maine, barely scraping by," Jackson said in a written statement Monday. "So when the greedy landowners threatened to replace us if we didn't work harder for less pay, I had no choice but to stand up and fight back. Since then, I've never stopped fighting for the people who keep our state running — the loggers and farmers, teachers and nurses, fishermen and first responders, workers and small business owners who are getting left behind." Jackson said "too many Democrats have lost touch with working people or shown they're not up for the fight" and highlighted his own experiences living paycheck to paycheck. "I know I don't look like traditional candidates and I probably won't be the chosen candidate of big money donors or the well-connected, and I'm okay with that because I know who I am and what I'm fighting for," he said. Gov. Janet Mills is unable to run for reelection because of term limits. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who served two terms in the Maine Senate, announced in March that she is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Angus King III, a businessman, renewable energy entrepreneur and the son of U.S. Sen. Angus King Jr., announced earlier this month that he is also seeking the Democratic nomination. Other candidates who have filed campaign finance paperwork for the race include fellow Democrat Kenneth Pinet. Republicans include state Sen. James Libby, R-Standish; Bobby Charles, who served as assistant secretary of state under Colin Powell; Steven Sheppard and Robert Wessels. There is one unenrolled candidate, Alexander Murchison. Other Democratic contenders whose names have been floated as potential candidates include U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, and Hannah Pingree, who said last week she is stepping down from the Governor's Office of Policy and Innovation and Future, a former Maine House speaker and the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District. Jackson is launching his campaign with a statewide tour that begins Monday at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Senate President Troy Jackson enters race for governor
Maine Senate President Troy Jackson speaks at a Wabanaki Alliance rally on Indigenous Peoples' Day at the Maine State House in Augusta. Oct. 9, 2023. (Photo: Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star) Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson is running for governor in the 2026 election. The fifth-generation logger announced Monday that he will join the Democratic primary, saying in a news release from his campaign that 'too many Democrats have lost touch with working people or shown they're not up to the fight.' 'I know what it's like to punch a clock, live paycheck to paycheck, be treated like I didn't matter while some billionaire got rich off my back – and how to turn that feeling of powerlessness into action,' he added. Jackson is the fourth Democrat to join the race. He will face Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who announced her bid in late March, as well as Kenneth Pinet and Angus King III, the son of independent senator and former governor Angus King Jr., who announced his run earlier this month. The Allagash-native said he is running for governor to help not only working families and seniors, but also to build a Maine where the children raised here can afford to stay. During his time as a legislator, Jackson focused on lowering prescription drug costs, passing universal school meals, as well as securing funding for rural hospitals and veterans' homes. He termed out last year. Jackson is kicking off his campaign with a statewide tour from Kittery to Madawaska. It starts Monday with a rally at the Kittery Town Wharf followed by a tour of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. and the Lockwood Mill in Waterville. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Angus King III announces run for governor of Maine
Mainers will have a familiar name on their ballots in 2026, with the son of longtime Sen. Angus King — Angus King III — running for governor next year. The 54-year-old King, who most recently served as the president of a renewable energy company, told POLITICO he's running because 'people are struggling, or they are scared.' 'We've got a whole host of challenges ahead of us that are making it challenging to live every day,' King said, citing his work in the private sector and his ability to build things that 'solve problems and help people.' Unlike his father, a longtime independent, King III will run in the state's Democratic primary. Asked why he's running with the party and not following in his father's footsteps, King said: 'I've got a pretty easy answer for that one: I'm a Democrat.' The contest for the Democratic nominee for governor could be a crowded one. So far, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is King's only official opponent. But former Senate President Troy Jackson, who formed an exploratory committee in March, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) have long been rumored as strong potential candidates. King is hoping his father's independent credentials and high name recognition will help him in the state that often rewards those who buck their parties. 'For sure, I've got independent blood in my veins — and most Mainers do too,' King said, saying the state needs someone 'pragmatic' and 'moderate' in charge. He's entering the race with support from his dad, who served as the state's governor from 1995 to 2003 and has been in the Senate since 2013. The elder King said his son would be one of the "top two governors named Angus ever" in a statement. As King launches his bid for governor, Democrats are still in search of a strong candidate willing to take on Sen. Susan Collins next year. The longtime Maine Republican looks to be vulnerable in some early Democratic polling, but she has not yet attracted a top-tier challenger. Golden, who once worked for Collins, has said he won't run against his former boss. The announcement comes as incumbent Gov. Janet Mills is term-limited. King's bid is his first shot at public office, something he is planning to embrace on the trail. But he also is quick to tout his father's legacy in the state. 'There are very few genuinely inspirational politicians in America right now, and I happen to be lucky enough to have grown up with one of them,' King said.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson exploring run for governor
Mar. 7—Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Allagash, announced Friday he is exploring a run for governor in 2026. "Since wrapping up six years as President of the Maine Senate, I've been humbled by the number of Mainers who've reached out and asked that I consider running for higher office," Jackson said in a written statement. He concluded his run as Senate president last year. The 2024 election made it clear that Democrats in Washington, D.C., are not doing enough to understand the frustrations of working people, he said. "I understand the belief that no one is listening or even cares, because I have felt that frustration and heard it from friends and neighbors in communities like the one I grew up in," Jackson said. "In a time when greedy corporations and wealthy special interests are running the tables in Washington, D.C., it's clear we need leaders here in Maine who will stand up, speak out and fight for everyday, working class people." Jackson said he is forming an exploratory committee as he considers a run for governor. Maine's current governor, Democrat Janet Mills, won't be able to seek reelection next year because of term limits. A logger by profession, Jackson, 56, spent 20 years as a state representative and senator and served three consecutive terms as Senate president up until 2024, when he was termed out of seeking reelection in the Senate. His experience representing more rural parts of the state could benefit Democrats, who have lost an electoral vote to Donald Trump in Maine's more rural 2nd District in each of the last three presidential elections. During his time in office, Jackson championed issues such as workers' rights and child care. In 2021, he sponsored the bill that was incorporated into the state budget to give all Maine students free lunches, and he was invited to speak on a panel at the White House in 2023 after pushing for the inclusion of investments in child care in the budget. Jackson also clashed with former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, during earlier terms in office — a relationship that made headlines in 2013 when LePage said during discussions about the state budget that Jackson, then the assistant Senate majority leader, "claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline." He ran to represent Maine's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, but lost the Democratic primary to Emily Cain. Jackson is among several well-known political figures whose names have been floated as potential candidates to replace Mills. Other Democratic contenders could include U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and Hannah Pingree, the director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future and a former Maine House speaker. Mario Moretto, a spokesperson for Golden, said Friday that the congressman is focusing all his attention at the moment on his congressional work. "As far as 2026 goes, there's plenty of time left to decide, and all options are on the table," Moretto said. Speculation about possible Republican candidates has included former U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, Rep. Laurel Libby and Jonathan Bush, a cousin of George W. Bush who bought a Cape Elizabeth mansion in 2021. State Sen. Rick Bennett and former Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, now a lobbyist, have also been mentioned. One name being discussed as a possible independent candidate is Travis Mills, a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant, author and motivational speaker. Candidates for governor will need to collect between 4,000 and 5,000 signatures from Maine voters to qualify for the ballot, and can begin circulating petitions on Jan. 1. Signatures are due to the Maine Department of the Secretary of State by March 16, 2026, and primary elections are scheduled for June 9, 2026. Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:53 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, to correct information about state Sen. Rick Bennett. He has not previously run for governor. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Maine Senate president Jackson exploring run for governor
Mar. 7—Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Allagash, announced Friday he is exploring a 2026 run for governor. "Since wrapping up six years as President of the Maine Senate, I've been humbled by the number of Mainers who've reached out and asked that I consider running for higher office," said Jackson, who concluded his run as Senate president last year, in a written statement. He said the last election made it clear that Democrats in Washington, D.C. are not doing enough to understand the frustrations of working people. "I understand the belief that no one is listening or even cares, because I have felt that frustration and heard it from friends and neighbors in communities like the one I grew up in," Jackson said. "In a time when greedy corporations and wealthy special interests are running the tables in Washington, D.C., it's clear we need leaders here in Maine who will stand up, speak out and fight for every day, working class people." Jackson said he is forming an exploratory committee as he considers a run for governor. Maine's current governor, Democrat Janet Mills, won't be able to seek re-election next year due to term limits. A fifth-generation Mainer and logger from Aroostook County, Jackson entered politics in 1998 when he and his fellow loggers blocked the Canadian border in protest of companies hiring foreign workers over Maine loggers. He spent 20 years in office in Augusta and served three consecutive terms as Senate President up until 2024, when he was termed out of seeking re-election in the Senate. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link
