Only weeks before stumbling into one of most consequential races in the country, he had come in third in the Democratic primary for governor. He looked like a political washout. But today he is a giant slayer, having toppled a five-term Republican incumbent, Senator Susan Collins, in Tuesday’s election.
Jackson, a former logger and state lawmaker from a struggling northern outpost, got from there to here — in just 101 days, no less — is an extraordinary story of the man meeting the moment. Less than five hours after the polls closed, as he scanned a raucous crowd of supporters chanting his name, he shook his head in apparent disbelief. Jackson, 58, told a packed hotel ballroom in Portland shortly after midnight.
Jackson’s triumph over Ms. Collins was notable, considering her seniority in the Senate and five previous statewide wins, versus his abbreviated campaign and limitations as a candidate. A fortuitous mix of personal narrative, message and timing powered him to a victory no one could have imagined just months ago.
Drawing on his working-class roots and populist record as a state senator, Mr. Jackson could empathize with voters’ frustrations and fears like few other congressional candidates. Perhaps even more important, Ms.
Collins, despite her efforts to assert her independence, could not escape the shadow of an exceedingly unpopular president — especially in a state hit hard by his tariffs and war with Iran, inflating costs for Mainers dependent on heating oil and trade with their Canadian neighbors. A lot of union folks and working class people have not had a candidate they could be excited about, and Troy gave them a voice.” Mr. Jackson was an accidental Senate candidate, with no burning desire to go to Washington.
But he quickly recalibrated after the implosion of the Democratic Party’s chosen nominee. Graham Platner, an oyster farmer hastily anointed a rising star, was forced to quit the Senate race amid allegations of sexual misconduct. As the possibility of chaos loomed, Mr.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
