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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Sunday backed new Maine Senate Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, and said he will officially endorse the former state Senate president if Jackson “asks” him.
“You want a working-class voice in Washington, D.C., Troy is certainly that voice. I have seen his platform. It is a strong platform, standing up for working families, taking on the oligarchs, fighting for Medicare for All,” Sanders told host Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Jackson formally secured the Democratic nomination last weekend, winning 566 votes during a party convention in Bangor, Maine. The victory sets him up for a battle against five-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), in a race the Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ rate as a toss-up.
Multiple declared candidates quickly exited stage left after Democrats consolidated around Jackson in the wake of prior nominee Graham Platner dropping out after multiple women accused him of sexual assault.
Jackson, who was the president of the Maine Senate for six years ending in December 2024, is campaigning on raising taxes on billionaires and corporations, cutting taxes for working-class Americans, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending U.S. military aid to Israel — positions that put him in line with Platner ideologically.
Sanders also noted the similarities between his state, Vermont, and Maine — as they are both among the oldest states in the country, based on the median age of residents.
“He understands that we have to make sure that we do not cut Social Security benefits, in fact expand Social Security benefits by demanding the wealthy starting to pay their fair share of taxes,” Sanders told Welker, referring to Jackson. “So I have known Troy, and I look forward to working with him in the U.S. Senate.”
When Welker asked the Vermont senator whether he will formally endorse Jackson, Sanders replied, “If he asks me to, I certainly will.”
During Jackson’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Maine, Sanders campaigned alongside him and Platner earlier this year.
Our Revolution, the progressive organization Sanders founded after his 2016 presidential campaign but is not directly involved with, also backed Jackson during his bid for the Senate nomination this summer.
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