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, withdrew his candidacy, Jackson launched a successful candidacy for the Democratic nomination. He faces incumbent Republican Susan Collins in the general election.
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Early life and education
Jackson was born on June 26, 1968 in Fort Kent, Maine, on the state's border with Canada. His mother, Colleen McBreairty, was a teacher and his father, Joe Jackson, was a logger. His parents married when they were young and his mother had him when she was 16. He grew up in Allagash in a Catholic family and his parents divorced while he was in middle school. He attended Allagash Consolidated School, where he played the sports the small school offered. He later earned an Associate of Arts degree in business from the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
Logging career
Jackson grew up around the logging industry and rode in his father's logging truck as a child. When he was 12, he witnessed his father and other northern Maine loggers strike over concerns about mechanized harvesting and wages, an experience that shaped his views on labor. At age 19, he began working as a logger despite his parents' wanting him to pursue a different career. Jackson became the fifth generation in his family to work as a logger.
In 1998, while working as a logger, Jackson helped lead a one-week blockade along the Maine–Canada border, with loggers from Maine using their trucks to block Canadian loggers from crossing the border at three border checkpoints. Fourteen other loggers joined him in the blockade. Before the blockade, the group had filed 137 complaints with the U.S. Department of Labor over the hiring of temporary Canadian workers, but all the complaints were denied.
Industrial timber owners and corporate forest groups strongly condemned the blockade of an international crossing and argued that the use of direct action set a dangerous precedent for trade and cross-border transit. Forest industry groups said the blockade threatened Maine's forest-products sector because it disrupted supplies to regional mills and risked damaging longstanding trade ties with Canada. Opponents also argued that hiring temporary Canadian workers through the federal seasonal H-2A visa program was legal and necessary because Maine's wood industry did not have enough local workers.
The blockade ended unsuccessfully after a week. Jackson and two other loggers were escorted away by the police. The incident prompted Jackson to enter electoral politics.
Political career
Maine House of Representatives
Jackson first ran for office as a Republican, running for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000 for District 151. He narrowly lost to Democratic nominee Marc Michaud, with 2,017 votes to Michaud's 2,172.
In 2002, Jackson was elected as an independent to House District 151, defeating Michaud, 2,171 votes to 1,176 in a race without a Republican candidate. He was the first non-Democrat to represent the area since 1978. The Bangor Daily News called Jackson's victory the biggest upset of the 2002 elections in Maine.
During his first term, Jackson switched from Independent to Democrat in 2004, citing Democratic support for legislation he had sponsored that would allow independent logging contractors to collectively bargain with forest landowners. The bill was signed into law by Governor John Baldacci later that year. After Maine's post-census legislative redistricting, Jackson ran for reelection in 2004 in the new House District 1 as a Democrat. He defeated Republican Paul Berube by a vote of 3,486 to 1,248.
During his second term, Jackson, a father of two children, sponsored legislation in 2005 that required alcohol distributors to post signs stating the legal consequences of buying alcohol for minors. The measure grew out of efforts by a community group from his district in the St. John Valley to combat underage drinking, including placing similar signs in the area, and became law that year. He was reelected to the State House unopposed in 2006.
In the Maine House, Jackson served on the Labor Committee and the Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. He chaired the Fisheries and Wildlife Committee for two terms.
Maine Senate
In 2008, Jackson was elected to represent District 35 in the Maine State Senate, defeating Republican Daniel DeVeau, 11,188 votes to 6,593. He was reelected in 2010, defeating DeVeau again, 7,525 votes to 5,620, and holding the seat despite a Republican wave that saw the GOP claim its first government trifecta in Maine since 1963. In 2012, Jackson was elected to a third term with 8,521 votes to Republican nominee Peter Edgecomb's 8,016.
In 2010, Jackson introduced a bill that would have prohibited the Maine Department of Conservation from hiring foreign laborers at state-owned logging sites. It passed both the House of Representatives and the State Senate before being vetoed by Republican Governor Paul LePage. LePage questioned the bill's constitutionality, while Jackson said that LePage was favoring large Canadian logging corporations over American workers.
Democrats regained control of the Maine Senate in the 2012 elections, and in December of that year, Jackson was elected assistant majority leader of the state senate. On July 10, 2013, Jackson was elected majority leader of the Maine Senate after the departure of fellow Democrat Seth Goodall, who resigned to accept a presidential appointment overseeing the New England region of the Small Business Administration.
In June 2013, Jackson called Governor LePage an "obstructionist" and "delusional" during discussions about the 2013–14 state budget. LePage responded that Jackson "claims to be for the people but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline". LePage added that Jackson "is a bad person" with "no brains" and a "black heart".
During his first period in the Maine Senate, Jackson served on a number of committees, including the Labor Committee, the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, and the State and Government Committee. He chaired the Labor and Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committees.
On July 1, 2013, after incumbent Democratic Congressman Mike Michaud's decided to explore running for governor, Jackson announced he would run for Maine's 2nd congressional district. On June 10, 2014, Jackson lost the Democratic primary to fellow State Senator Emily Cain, with 21% of the vote to Cain's 79%. Cain lost the general election to Republican Bruce Poliquin.
2026 gubernatorial campaign
On March 7, 2025, Jackson announced he was exploring a run for governor of Maine in the 2026 election. On May 19, he announced his candidacy at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. He said he was running on behalf of working-class Mainers who feel "under attack from billionaires, special interests, and their friends who control Washington".
Jackson was endorsed by 40 local Maine labor unions, as well as high-profile national progressives such as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative from California Ro Khanna. In March 2026, he was endorsed by the Mi'kmaq Tribal Council, which cited Jackson's longtime support for tribal sovereignty and his establishing a commission to examine the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act.
In the ranked-choice Democratic primary, Jackson finished third on first preferences and was eliminated on the third count with 29% of the vote. The primary was won by Hannah Pingree, whom Jackson had cross-endorsed along with fellow candidate Shenna Bellows.
2026 U.S. Senate campaign
During their respective primary campaigns, Jackson initially maintained a close political alliance with U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, with the pair two often appearing at rallies together. They also endorsed each other in their respective races. On June 9, 2026, Platner won his primary, while Jackson lost his. Less than a month later, a former partner of Platner's accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Jackson immediately distanced himself from Platner, rescinded his endorsement, and called on Platner to withdraw from the race. Jackson said it would be "incredibly self-serving" if Platner did not end his Senate campaign but praised Platner for building a movement that "lasted past him".
On July 7, 2026, Jackson filed Federal Election Commission paperwork forming a campaign committee to run for the U.S. Senate as Platner's replacement. Jackson formally announced his candidacy to replace Platner the next day. He has been endorsed by U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Jackson said he would not accept an endorsement from Platner and that Platner had lied to him when he had asked about Platner's past behavior.
During county caucuses held on July 18 and 19 to elect delegates to a special nominating convention scheduled for July 25, Jackson's slate won an absolute majority in every county except Lincoln and Washington, and 456 out of 500 total elected delegates statewide. His major opponents, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former CDC official Nirav Shah, businessman Dan Kleban, and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, withdrew on July 19, with the latter three endorsing Jackson.
At the special Democratic convention on July 25, Jackson won the Democratic nomination over healthcare executive Saundra Pelletier, 566–5.
Political positions
Abortion rights
Early in his legislative career, Jackson held socially conservative positions on abortion rights. In both 2003 and 2010, the organization Maine Right to Life, which opposes abortion rights, gave him perfect scores on his voting record. In 2011, he was the only Democrat in the Maine State Senate to vote for a bill that would have given legal standing to a fetus in the event of an attack on a pregnant woman. In 2012, Jackson identified as anti-abortion, and said that abortion should be illegal in all cases except for rape or incest.
He attributed his pro-life stance to his Roman Catholic upbringing, and later said "I've made mistakes early on in understanding" the issue of abortion and changed his stance on the issue. In 2017, he voted against a fetal personhood bill like the 2011 bill he supported. In 2019, he voted for of a bill that guarantees that MaineCare and private insurance provide coverage of abortion care if a plan offers prenatal care. In 2023, Jackson helped pass a law that allows abortion at any stage of pregnancy if a doctor deems it medically necessary.
Despite saying he was still not comfortable with abortion, Jackson condemned the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade. In his 2026 Senate campaign, Jackson is running on federally codifying the right to abortion, and has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
Daylight saving time
Jackson has said that he would preserve daylight saving time, rather than support permanent time observation.
Environment
Jackson supports expanding conservation of public lands, while maintaining public access.
In the Maine Senate, he proposed a bill to ban aerial spraying of the herbicide glyphosate in forests. The bill passed the legislature but was vetoed by Governor Janet Mills, who said she supported taking certain steps but did not support the proposed "blanket prohibition".
Foreign policy
Jackson opposes the 2026 Iran war. He supports aid to Ukraine.
Jackson is critical of Israel and accuses it of genocide. In July 2026, he said, "anybody with eyes and a heart knows the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza." He said he would never vote for U.S. military aid to Israel.
Gambling
As Maine Senate President, Jackson pushed strongly to expand tribal gambling rights. He sponsored legislation that granted Maine's Wabanaki nations exclusive rights to operate mobile and online sports betting apps.
Guns
Early in his political career, Jackson had a legislative history of opposing firearms restrictions and had high ratings from the National Rifle Association.
After the 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Jackson shifted his approach toward gun laws in Maine. In the 2024 Maine legislative session, he led several gun safety bills through the legislature, including a 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases and a ban on bump stocks. In 2025, he wrote an op-ed supporting a "yes" vote on Maine Question 2, which implemented a red flag law in the state.
Healthcare
In a 2026 debate, Jackson said he supports Medicare for all.
Jackson has advocated for a legally binding moratorium to prevent private equity firms from purchasing independent healthcare practices in Maine.
Immigration
Jackson has called for the abolition of ICE, and said in a July 2026 debate, "I'd abolish it [ICE] altogether." He said ICE is a "rogue agency" that "gives us nothing in this country but heartache and racism".
LGBTQ rights
Early in his legislative career, Jackson held socially conservative positions on LGBTQ rights. In May 2009, he was one of only two state Senate Democrats to vote against a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine.
By 2019, his position had shifted, and he voted in favor of a ban on conversion therapy. In 2024, the LGBTQ rights advocacy group Equality Maine gave him a 100% rating. In his 2026 Senate campaign, Jackson is running on strengthening anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ citizens.
Real estate
Jackson proposes banning purchases by non-Maine private equity firms and multi-state real estate conglomerates of single-family residential starter homes.
Jackson endorses an increased lodging tax on out-of-state visitors. He also proposes a dedicated luxury tax surcharge on vacation homes valued at over $1 million.
Relationship with Bernie Sanders
During the 2016 presidential election, Jackson was a prominent supporter of Bernie Sanders's campaign, and cast his superdelegate vote for him at the Democratic National Convention. On July 6, 2015, he introduced Sanders at a campaign rally before 8,000 supporters in Portland, Maine. During the 2020 presidential election, Jackson again supported Sanders, and again addressed a Portland rally for him on September 1, 2019. After the primaries, Jackson supported the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. On May 21, 2025, Sanders endorsed Jackson's 2026 gubernatorial campaign, and on Labor Day he headlined a Portland campaign rally for Jackson and Platner, attended by 6,500 supporters. Sanders will hold three rallies in October 2026 in support of Jackson's campaign for U.S. Senate, in Bangor, Lewiston, and Biddeford.
Personal life
Jackson lives in Allagash, Maine, with his longtime partner Lana Pelletier, and their two adult sons, Chace and Camden.
