Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) publicly backed Troy Jackson, the new Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate from Maine, on Sunday, August 2, 2026. Sanders said he would officially endorse Jackson if the former Maine Senate president requests it.

“You want a working-class voice in Washington, D.C., Troy is certainly that voice,” Sanders told NBC’s "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker. He praised Jackson’s platform as strong, emphasizing its commitment to standing up for working families, challenging the oligarchs, and advocating for Medicare for All.

Jackson secured the Democratic nomination last weekend by winning 566 votes at a party convention in Bangor, Maine. His nomination follows the withdrawal of previous nominee Graham Platner, who stepped down after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, leading other Democratic candidates to exit the race and consolidate support around Jackson.

The upcoming Senate race pits Jackson against five-term incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Both the Cook Political Report and Decision Desk HQ rate the contest as a toss-up.

Jackson, who served as president of the Maine Senate for six years until December 2024, campaigns on raising taxes on billionaires and corporations, cutting taxes for working-class Americans, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ending U.S. military aid to Israel. These positions align ideologically with those of Platner.

Earlier this year, Sanders campaigned alongside Jackson and Platner during Jackson’s unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Maine. Additionally, Our Revolution, the progressive organization founded by Sanders after his 2016 presidential campaign, supported Jackson’s Senate nomination bid this summer.

Sources