Maine voters must choose between listener and lecturer | Opinion
Maine Town Hall Highlights Diverging Ways Candidates Hear Constituents
Ellsworth, Maine – In a recent town‑hall session hosted by state Senate candidate Troy Jackson, an immigrant woman from the area took the floor to question the senator’s past remarks about logging workers and the treatment of foreign laborers. Jackson’s response, and the subsequent private exchange that followed, have drawn comparisons to a 2018 meeting between Senator Susan Collins and representatives from Planned Parenthood of Maine that ended in a different tone and outcome.
The town hall, held at an Ellsworth community center, featured a small audience of voters and supporters. “I want to support you, but I am an immigrant,” the woman said, her voice trembling slightly with a light accent. She asked how she could know that Jackson would not view her as a foreigner taking a Maine job, after his campaign ads referenced the logging blockade of the 1990s and a stance against what he described as “foreigners taking Maine jobs.”
Jackson paused, then said, “Thank you for speaking up. I’m sorry.” He explained that his earlier position had never been intended to castigate Canadian workers, but rather to address large corporations that used foreign labor as a cost‑saving measure. “I would have supported those Canadian workers immigrating to Maine for a better life, and I am dedicated to finding pathways for immigrants in Maine because we desperately need and want immigrants here,” he added. He promised to review the ad and improve his messaging, thanking the woman for pointing out the problem that needed addressing.
After the public session ended and most attendees moved on to a pizza reception, Jackson approached the woman for a private conversation. He listened carefully, and when they finished, he handed her a contact card and wrote his personal cellphone number, urging her to call if she wanted to continue the dialogue.
The exchange has been contrasted with a much older interaction that took place in Washington, D.C., in early August 2018. Senators Collins, a Republican, met with Nicole Clegg, the head of the Maine Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and a small group of Maine women who either worked for Planned Parenthood or had received abortion care. The meeting was brief and, according to Clegg, “almost eight years ago, just weeks before the Kavanaugh vote.” Clegg recalled that before the women could share their stories, Collins had voiced displeasure at “I Stand with Planned Parenthood” stickers that many Colby College students had worn at a graduation ceremony he had spoken at. “I can’t bring constituents into this space if I don’t think they are going to be respected,” Clegg said of the meeting’s outcome. Since that time, Planned Parenthood of Maine has not held another meeting with the senator.
Both interactions illustrate how candidates respond to constituent concerns. Jackson’s willingness to apologize, clarify his position, and keep lines of communication open has been cited as evidence of his evolving stance on issues such as abortion rights, where he has led the Legislature in passing one of the country’s most comprehensive protections. Susan Collins, meanwhile, has been described by some as having shifted toward supporting “militant anti‑abortion judges.”
The story arrives in the lead‑up to the 2026 Maine Senate election, where voters have the option to choose a candidate who engages and listens to challengers or one who has, according to some, avoided such engagement for years. The decision, the writer notes, “could not be more clear.”
Brenda Power, a retired educator and 1999 UMaine Distinguished Professor awardee, observed the town hall and reported on the contrasting experiences, highlighting the courage of those who speak out.
