Jackson begins campaign against Collins with massive fundraising gap
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson says the upcoming Senate election "won't be decided by the billionaires," as he begins a 100-day campaign against Republican Susan Collins, who has an advantage of at least $11 million in cash reserves and millions more expected in outside contributions.
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson says the upcoming Senate election "won't be decided by the billionaires," as he begins a 100-day campaign against Republican Susan Collins, who has an advantage of at least $11 million in cash reserves and millions more expected in outside contributions.
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Troy Jackson is beginning a 100-day campaign against with a massive fundraising gap against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, whose operation includes $11 million in cash reserves and millions more in expected outside spending.
Federal Election Commission records show the Collins campaign reported $16,169,827 in receipts from Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30. The campaign spent $7,708,020 during that period and finished June with $11,038,115 in cash on hand and no reported debt.
Jackson’s campaign said it raised more than $1 million after he entered the Senate contest this month.
Jackson registered the "Troy Jackson for Maine" Senate Committee with the FEC on July 7, identifying it as a testing-the-waters committee. As of Sunday, the committee had not filed a public financial report showing its receipts, spending or cash balance.
According to his campaign website, Jackson is not accepting support from corporate political action committees or billionaire donors and is instead relying on working people.
Jackson made that grassroots approach part of his acceptance message Saturday after Democratic delegates selected him to replace Graham Platner on the November ballot.
“There is a place in this campaign for all of you,” Jackson told supporters. “There is work for you in this movement, and I will spend every day, now through November, earning that trust.”
The former Maine Senate president also framed the election around the economic pressure facing working families.
“We can see our paychecks and the bills that we have,” Jackson said. “And we know that we are getting screwed, and we also know who’s to blame. And I’m running to change that.”
Jackson went on to call for Medicare for All, action against corporate price gouging, more affordable housing and stronger protections for Social Security, Medicare and organized labor.
"This election is not going to be decided by corporate PACs, Big Pharma, insurance companies, or the billionaires funding Susan Collins," Jackson said. "It will be decided in union halls and at kitchen tables."
The Collins campaign has cast Jackson’s proposals as too expensive and too far to the left for Maine. Campaign spokesperson Shawn Roderick said Jackson would offer voters policies wrapped in “rhetoric that will make everything sound free,” while leaving middle- and lower-income workers to cover the cost.
Collins has also called Jackson a “Bernie Bro,” citing his work leading Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign in Maine. Jackson has responded by emphasizing his background as a fifth-generation logger from Allagash.
Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, entered the general-election matchup with an established statewide organization and months of advertising already underway. Her campaign released its first television ad of the cycle in May, highlighting her work to secure federal funding to rebuild the Eastport Breakwater.
The financial fight will extend beyond the candidates’ campaign accounts. The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, has said it is prepared to spend more than $42 million against Jackson.
The spending reflects the national stakes and why Maine's race is being so closely watched. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats. Democrats hold 45, and two independents caucus with them. Democrats have a narrow route to a majority and view defeating Collins as a critical part of it.