Maine Voices: Former State Lawmaker Lends Support to Troy Jackson's U.S. Senate Bid

Janice Cooper, who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2012 to 2020 representing Yarmouth, Chebeague Island and Long Island, is publicly backing Troy Jackson in his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Cooper, now a member of Yarmouth's Town Council and a former congressional staffer, shared her perspective in a recent opinion piece highlighting what she views as a pivotal moment in the Democratic Party's response to the current political climate.

Cooper described herself as "utterly gutted and disheartened" by what she characterized as authoritarian actions from President Trump, particularly in his second term. She also expressed frustration with the Democratic Party establishment's inability to counter those actions effectively, writing that hope is now emerging through Jackson's candidacy.

Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from Allagash, formally entered Maine's U.S. Senate race in March after Graham Platner ended his campaign. Platner, an oysterman from Sullivan who had attracted attention for his populist economic message, exited the race following the resurfacing of allegations of past sexual misconduct that he had not disclosed publicly.

In her column, Cooper positioned Jackson's working-class roots as central to his credibility. She noted that Jackson's family has long worked in the logging industry in northern Maine, and that his political career began with advocacy on behalf of loggers facing competition from Canadian workers and the export of American timber. His opposition to those practices, Cooper wrote, reflects an authentic understanding of working-class exploitation.

Jackson served in the Maine Senate and was repeatedly elected Senate President by his colleagues, including members of both parties. Cooper described him as someone whose "political skills, honesty and reliability" earned the respect of fellow legislators as well as his typically Republican-leaning constituents in Aroostook County.

Cooper framed Jackson's candidacy around what she described as the central economic issue facing the country: a decades-long transfer of wealth from ordinary Americans to a small number of wealthy individuals who, she wrote, control the media, stock market, corporations and other centers of power. She argued this shift has been a deliberate Republican strategy, resulting in corporate executives earning 100 times or more what average workers earn, compared to roughly 10 times a few generations ago.

The solution, Cooper wrote, lies in voting and in ensuring that votes are counted, describing that effort as "not a big ask." She called for what she characterized as a direct challenge to the concentration of wealth and power, saying that doing so is essential to preserving American democracy.

Jackson's path to the Senate race has been unconventional. He entered the contest only after Platner's withdrawal, a development Cooper described as unfolding in a manner that "reads like a beach novel set in Maine's backwoods."

Cooper's column was published as part of ongoing coverage of Maine's 2026 election cycle. Collins, a Republican, has served in the U.S. Senate since 1997 and has not yet publicly commented on the latest developments in the Democratic primary.

Additional reporting on Maine's 2026 races is available through the Portland Press Herald's Maine Political Report newsletter.