Troy Jackson gave a stemwinder after he secured the Democratic nomination on Saturday to run against Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
If you liked ex-nominee Graham Platner’s populism, you’ve got to love Jackson’s, which comes without the baggage: Politico described him as a “progressive 5th generation logger” who has “had a long career in organizing progressive activists and ties to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who had endorsed him in his gubernatorial race earlier this year.”
Jackson’s speech focused on how working people are getting screwed by the ultra-wealthy, like Collins. He started with his own experiences being taken advantage of by logging companies. Later, he spoke of his realization that his struggles were part of a much bigger problem:
“The same thing that happened to us as loggers that I worked beside is happening all across the state and all across this country to working people. … People are doing everything they can right and still cannot get ahead. They’re working two or three jobs to survive.”
He noted how the struggle to earn enough money to get by infects nearly every aspect of workers’ lives: from working so much they lose precious time with their families to skipping medications and checkups and “praying to God that they don’t get sick because they can’t afford another damn bill.”
“So, I am running to pass Medicare for all,” Jackson added.