Democrats view Maine contest as pivotal to Senate control
Troy Jackson told several hundred union members at a Southern Maine Labor Council event in Portland, Maine, on Monday that workers need to go to the polls this fall to raise the minimum wage, expand family medical leave and show support for one another.
“Labor Day has never been just another holiday,” Jackson said at the morning rally. “Today, here with the people I’ve fought alongside for years, I want to make a pledge about exactly what I’m going to do in the United States Senate.”
Jackson, a longtime labor activist and logger, became the Democratic nominee unexpectedly at a special convention in July, returning to a union hall on Monday to address the crowd.
Jackson is trying to unseat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race Democrats view as critical to winning Senate control.
Monday’s appearance was part of a broader Labor Day push by candidates in key November races. Senate and House candidates in those contests spent the holiday weekend stumping at festivals, union halls and parades as the midterms entered their final weeks with control of both chambers on the line.
At the Portland event, Jackson told the crowd he wants to raise the minimum wage and expand family medical leave.
The Maine contest is one of several competitive Senate races that will help determine which party controls the chamber in January. Democrats view the race as critical to winning Senate control.