A month after he became the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, Troy Jackson is ramping up his appeals to women and voters who care about abortion rights, looking to sharpen a contrast with Republican Sen. Susan Collins that has long been at the center of the race.
The task of building female support is an urgent one for Jackson after months of intraparty turmoil in Maine threatened to demoralize some in the crucial voting bloc. The state’s female governor, Janet Mills, dropped out before the primary, and the eventual winner, insurgent Graham Platner, saw his campaign collapse after a rape allegation that he denies. Now, Republicans are working to tie Jackson to his predecessor – and his problems with women.
“Maine has been through a lot,” said Mini Timmaraju, the president of Reproductive Freedom for All, who is set to visit Maine on Wednesday evening to unveil the group’s endorsement of Jackson.
Democrats are now hoping to turn the focus to Collins, who describes herself as a “pro-choice” Republican, and her key vote to confirm one of the Supreme Court justices who ultimately signed onto the Dobbs decision, which ended federal abortion rights. Jackson has his own mixed record on the issue – once deeply opposed to abortion rights before becoming more of a supporter in the last decade.
