{"id":49337,"date":"2026-07-23T13:26:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=49337"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:26:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T20:26:06","slug":"leading-collins-in-new-poll-jackson-says-maine-cant-afford-6-more-years-of-gop-senators-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/23\/leading-collins-in-new-poll-jackson-says-maine-cant-afford-6-more-years-of-gop-senators-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading Collins in New Poll, Jackson Says Maine Can\u2019t Afford 6 More Years of GOP Senator\u2019s \u2018Concern\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"US<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US Senate candidate Troy Jackson speaks to a crowd on July 19, 2026 in York County, Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by @TroyJackson207\/X)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 30 years, Susan Collins has told us that she\u2019s concerned, she\u2019s told us that she\u2019s troubled, and she\u2019s told us that she\u2019s disappointed, but when the stakes are the absolute highest, too often, she stood with Donald Trump.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Julia Conley<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jul 22, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With three days to go until Maine\u2019s statewide convention, where delegates will officially nominate the Democratic US Senate<\/a> candidate who will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins<\/a>, presumptive nominee Troy Jackson is hitting the ground running\u2014denouncing Collins\u2019 repeated claims of \u201cconcern\u201d over the MAGA agenda she\u2019s enabled as he points to recent polling in his favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking Mainers can\u2019t afford six more years of \u2018concern,\u2019\u201d Jackson said<\/a> on social media<\/a> Tuesday evening after the University of New Hampshire released polling from July 15-20 that showed 49% of respondents backing the former state Senate president and logger, compared with 46% who supported the five-term senator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The poll was released days after Jackson swept<\/a> last weekend\u2019s 16 county-level nominating meetings, where voters selected the delegates who will go to the convention on Saturday. Jackson won<\/a> 478 out of 500 delegates who were voted on last weekend; 100 state committee members will also take part in the convention, and how they intend to vote is unknown, but Jackson has emerged as the clear front-runner after former candidate Graham Platner dropped out of the race due to sexual assault<\/a> allegations, which he denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the county meetings, Jackson\u2019s top opponents, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, epidemiologist Nirav Shah, and activist Jordan Wood, dropped out of the race and endorsed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackson, who ran for governor earlier this year, has also received endorsements from top labor unions<\/a> in Maine<\/a> and current and former state lawmakers, while garnering $1 million from more than 25,000 donors since he first expressed<\/a> interest in succeeding Platner as the Democratic candidate just over two weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSusan Collins has billionaires. We have a movement,\u201d said<\/a> Jackson on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also posted a video of a recent speech he gave in York County, emphasizing his desire to include all working people in his push to unseat Collins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a place for you in this movement, because we\u2019re not going to defeat Susan Collins by making this movement smaller,\u201d said Jackson. \u201cI know what happens when working people decide that they\u2019ve had enough. When we do, we stand up, we lock arms, we fight back, and then we win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I know what happens when working people decide that they've had enough. Together, we'll make sure Susan Collins and the Republicans find out soon. pic.twitter.com\/6p5S5EHtdm<\/a><\/p>— Troy Jackson (@TroyJackson207) July 22, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>