COLLINS V. JACKSON： Watch MS NOW's coverage of the Maine Senate race SHAKE-UP ｜ COMPILATION

Troy Jackson is now the Democratic nominee for the Senate race in Maine. He just received 566 delegate votes at the convention in Bangor. His opponent, Sandra Pelletier, received only five. Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger, and he is the former president of Maine's state Senate. And before this week, he did not have much name recognition at all outside of the state. There was a University of New Hampshire poll taken before Jackson secured the nomination and found that he has a slight lead now over incumbent Republican Susan Collins in a hypothetical matchup in November. It is an early indication that this race may be even more competitive than expected. Collins is pursuing her sixth term as senator and has spent decades cultivating an image of being an independent Republican, somebody who's willing to buck her own party when necessary, but that does not necessarily line up with her vote. She has voted with Donald Trump more times than not when it really matters. And you know what? Voters in Maine are picking up on that. I spoke to some folks even here in New York on the Upper West Side of Manhattan a couple of weeks ago. Here's one of them. Here's what one of them said about Susan Collins. She has a habit of, quote, being very concerned. Concerned, always. Susan Collins is always concerned. About certain issues. And then she ends up voting 90% of the time. With Trump. With Trump, yeah. Yeah, that's her line, right? Like, I'm concerned. So at the point where I know what somebody is going to say and what somebody is going to do, I can judge that against whomever is a possible candidate. And that is an exact line that Troy Jackson used in his speech today. Susan Collins has survived election after election despite that concern, even as Maine has grown increasingly blue in presidential races. And while being politically experienced is not usually viewed as a bad thing, new polling shows that a lot of Americans are craving change. There's a Fox News poll. It found that more than 80% of registered voters say they want some level of change in government. That is the kind of political climate that makes even seasoned incumbents like Susan Collins pay attention, if not freak out. Incumbents don't just run against challengers. They run against their own record. And more importantly, they run against the mood of the country. And you guys know what that is. Economic concerns and the war with Iran. All this stuff is top of mind for voters right now, and it is creating this enormous pressure for Republicans and for President Trump. And Republicans like Susan Collins have to walk a very delicate line at this point of supporting the president while also appeasing her own voters who are struggling to put food on the table all across Maine. And there's even more polling that suggests Democrats might now have the edge. Check this out. Emerson College. It's a survey of likely 2026 voters. It finds the Democrats have an 11 point advantage over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot. And that is why a state with less than two million residents is suddenly one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in all of America. The great Chris Jansing, MSNOW's chief political reporter, remains in Maine and is watching this for us up close in Bangor. Chris, it's an exciting day in Maine. And you know what I was watching? I was watching the mood of the people as they left, and I saw virtually everyone smiling, virtually everyone deep in conversation. And you just missed it, Jacob. There was a group of union members who were singing a union song there. I've talked about the fact that the ground game that they provide will be critical to this. But look, there was one Democrat close to Troy Jackson who said to me that what he's been through is somewhere between a high wire act and a moon landing in terms of challenges. There's a huge challenge ahead. But in many decades of covering politics, there's two things I always look for. One is know your audience. And if you listen to that speech Troy Jackson gave, he definitely knows who his audience is. He said, people like us, we're not supposed to have power. That resonates in such a profound way in parts of the state that are struggling. And anyone who knows people and understands people are struggling. Let me play just a little more of the point he made that really speaks, I think, to what I'm hearing from Mainers. Take a listen. Working people, despite all of our challenges, are not powerless. You know, we're only made a few powerless when we stand alone. And that is what they try and do is divide us. And that's why I entered public life, fought for working people in the legislature and in the main Senate. And it's why I'm running for the United States Senate today. And he said to the people in this audience watching on TV and here in this room, if you have been ignored, if you have been underestimated, join our campaign. I think there's a second thing that a lot of people have been watching for, because he's coming in to succeed someone late in the game who is believed to have extraordinarily, extraordinary political gifts. But some people can rise to the occasion. It's what folks are looking for. He gave a strong speech. He gave a speech that did what he needed it to do, which was to get these folks fired up. And I think he also spoke very strongly to the moment we're in. He talked about reproductive rights. He talked about giving people a fair shake. He talked about concerns about billionaires coming in and making decisions for people who are doing the hard work. And he talked a little bit about his own history in fighting for equality for every working person in Maine and how his time as a logger really informed the rest of the way he has gotten involved in politics. Now, he has not always been successful in politics. He has not always been a prolific fundraiser. And those are things that his campaign is very aware of and that the Democratic Party is aware of. But there is one point I will make that I keep hearing again and again from people out there who are under no illusion. This is going to be an easy race against Susan Collins, but who believe that he can win. It's that he has people who have wanted to get involved. The question is, can he take it, which it seems today he could? Can he grow it? And can he sustain it, which is the key to all political campaigns? And that's the challenge ahead in just an extraordinarily intense 101 days that he has ahead of him, Jacob. It's almost crazy to think that tomorrow is 100 days down to the midterm elections. Everybody make sure to stay tuned to this very network because at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Chris Jansen will be hosting a very special hour of coverage from right there in Bangor, Maine. So I'll let you go because I know you got to get ready. And I'm sure I know Chris Jansen. Go ahead. I'm going to have the first one on one interview with Troy Jackson. And you can hear from him between four and five o'clock. I got it. Of course, Chris Jansen got the first one on one. I was begging just now at the end of the last hour. I said, if anybody's watching, tell him to call us now. And you know what they said? Nope, nope. We're going to be on with Chris Jansen. So you screwed me again, Chris. You're the best. Chris Jansen, MSNOW chief political reporter live in Bangor, Maine. Thanks, Chris. And we start with the seismic event that took place in the very town where I am. Just a short time ago, Maine Democrats finished their nominating convention to replace Graham Plattner as their Senate nominee, hoping to leave the impact of Plattner's shocking fall from grace in the rearview mirror. Now it will be up to Troy Jackson to deliver for Democrats who desperately want to flip this crucial seat and by extension, help flip control of the entire Senate. Known affectionately as the liberal lumberjack, Jackson dominated in the delegate battle, winning 99 percent of possible votes. What little polling we have from before his formal nomination tells us that it's a very tight race. Likely voters in Maine, Troy Jackson leading Susan Collins by three percentage points. But that is within the margin of error. I sat down with Troy Jackson just a short time ago. His first one on one interview since he secured the nomination. Here's that conversation. First of all, congratulations. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. How are you feeling? You know, I don't know. I'm excited, a whole bunch of different things. But, you know, I know that this is a big deal and a lot of people are counting on me. So there's, you know, a bit of trepidation. And, you know, I want to make sure that I deliver for people. Well, let me tell you some of the things I've read in the papers that this race is high stakes, must win the most closely watched race of the midterms. Are you feeling the pressure? Yeah, definitely. Like I said, the pressure for me is like it's always been about fighting for Maynards. And, you know, I want to deliver. And that's what the pressure is for me. Why should someone vote for you? Well, I think they know that I'm on the right side of these issues. I've been fighting for universal health care, prescription drug coverage. I mean, I'm a big labor person. I believe that workers need to have somebody in their corner, you know, child care, nursing homes. I mean, there's so many things that I've been fighting for in the Maine legislature, and they know that, you know, I have their back. And I'm not I'm not fighting for billionaires. I'm not fighting for Elon Musk and those people. I mean, I don't believe in income tax cuts for wealthy people. I don't believe in I should come to Maine or any other state and create the chaos and hate and discontent and murder people. I mean, these are huge differences between me and Senator Collins. And that's why I think people are going to vote for me because they want somebody that has their back instead of the wealthy elite. Do you think she's been a bad senator? Yeah, I do. I mean, you know, ever since she was elected in 96, you know, everyday working class people have been asking her and myself included to stand up for us. And she hasn't. You know, she stood up for Donald Trump 96 percent of the time. And she stood up with millionaires, billionaires that already have all access they need to government. It's everyday people that need a government that works for them. And she's not been doing that. I wonder when you look at the lay of the land now, there's so much money out there. You came from, let's call it humble roots, right? I have been told by multiple people this is going to be at least a $250 million race. One prediction from ad impact is $400 million. You're starting at a deficit. You're starting from zero. How do you catch up? Well, first and foremost, I think people should go to Jackson for Maine dot com and help us. But I set you up for that. No, but seriously, we're I mean, yeah, we're probably going to be out I'm definitely the little guy in this race, but I know that I'm on the right side. I know that Mainers want a different government that they're having right now. And so I feel very good about, you know, everyday people coming on board and helping us win this race. And I've always said this. I mean, there's more of us that are left behind than there are of the people like Susan Collins and Donald Trump. So I feel very good that we can pull this off because the government we have right now is not working. And she is as big of a reason for that as anyone. Susan Collins says you're a Bernie bro. What do you say? You know, I've I've been called a lot. I mean, you said yourself, I'm a logger by trade. I've been called a lot of things in my life and and I don't really care. I mean, again, I know exactly who I'm fighting for, you know, everyday people. And, you know, people can call me whatever they want with it. What they can't say is that I don't have the best interest of the people in Maine's heart in them. And that Susan Collins certainly has not been standing for the same things I have. A lot of people fell in love with and then fell out of love with Graham Plattner. You were a supporter. How do you push the reset button? How do you get the kind of unity that you talked about in that room today to get people to come out and bring you to victory? So, I mean, I understand how there's people out there that are, you know, dismayed, frustrated. I don't know if it's actually pushing the reset button. I think it's just making sure people know that it was always about the issues. I mean, you know, yeah, Graham articulated them very well. But but, you know, we're talking about a government that works for people, you know, health care and prescription drugs and collective bargaining. You know, the list goes on and on. And those issues are bigger than any one of us, certainly bigger than me. And so, I mean, I think it's about telling people that, like, you know, everything that you wanted is still within sight. You know, we still can accomplish that. We still can get the government we want. It's just with a different messenger. And, you know, to me, that's fine because it's bigger than any one of us. It's about moving this country forward in a way that we feel good about and having the government we want. How much of this race and your success or failure hinges on Donald Trump, do you think, and the mood it's created in this country? Well, I think there's definitely a lot of buyer remorse here in Maine. I think Donald Trump has done a lot of nasty things. He's certainly not in it for the people. He's lied consistently about what he was going to do, what he is doing. You know, we're in a war with Iran that nobody understands here in Maine. You know, logging, fishing, farming is big industries. People are paying incredible amounts for diesel. I mean, they're having a hard time to keep up. You know, I think that Trump has, you know, sold us a bad deal. And Susan Collins has been right there every step of the way. You know, she's given him what he wanted. She hasn't stood up. I mean, I appointed, you know, three different chairs of the appropriations committee here in Maine. I know the power of an appropriations chair. I know how they can stop things regardless of what I want. And she's given them everything that they want as far as for the billionaires. So I think people across the state know that Donald Trump has not been helping us. She has not been helping us because she follows Donald Trump. So give us some inside info. What's your plan? How do you win a race in 100 days? I think do it the way that I've always done it. I mean, I get out there. I talk to people. They know I'm sincere. They know I'm genuine. They know that I'm fighting for them. You know, we're going to do town halls. I've been doing that all along. We're going to get out there and show people, talk about the issues, talk about how we can have a new government, and talk about how this moment is about all of us, not Donald Trump, not Susan Collins, not Troy Jackson. It's about changing government fundamentally so that it works for everyday people. And that is something that I have fought for my entire life. I've been waiting for this moment, not like this Senate race, but for somebody to actually stand up and harness that power of solidarity. And I didn't know it was going to be me, but I'm damn sure willing to do it now. How does it feel to have that? I mean, it's really tremendous. It's really awe-inspiring, but it's also very nerve-wracking. Again, I don't want to let people down. Those people walked out of there smiling. They cheered raucously for you when you came out to the podium. What's that like? Well, like I said, outside of my family, it's the biggest personal honor I've ever had. For people to put that faith and trust in you is a huge deal. Too many times, I think people don't understand that and don't care, but I do. I want to deliver for people. I want to make sure their lives are better. That's what this all has been about. Finally, if someone had told you a month ago, I don't know what you were doing then. Maybe you were fishing? I was. If somebody told you you'd be sitting here today or in that convention earlier? Honestly, I wish it hadn't happened this way. But here we are. The thing about it is I don't want that momentum to stop. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Somehow, this will go forward. I see the opportunity to change the world in a way I think is very positive. A month ago, I never would have saw this. I never wanted it. I never catered it. But again, here we are. We're going to do the right things to make sure that we change the government in a way that I believe the people I care about can be proud of. Well, I wish you luck. I appreciate you coming over. It's not a terrible day in Maine to be sitting outside. No day in Maine is a terrible day. Thank you. Appreciate it. And my thanks to Maine Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, who says his real concern is whether or not they leave his family alone. And he said, other than that, he'll take whatever comes his way. We would like to say that we invited Senator Collins to come on the show for an interview. She declined. I want to turn now to Jason Selvig, a comedian and one half of the, you might know him from Good Liars, the political comedy duo. And Bea Spear is a journalist, podcast host and founder of Under the Desk News. I wanted to talk to both of you. Thank you so much to both of you for being here. I wanted to talk to both of you because the two of you through what you do and the way that you talk to people are closer to ordinary Americans, I think, than most journalists today. And Jason, I just want to start with you. Authentic was the word that you used as we were watching that. What strikes you about Troy Jackson? I think there's an authenticity with him. And I think, you know, obviously he's been he's been working. His family's been working in Maine for a really long time. But you heard it. And he said it and his campaign staff was saying he didn't sleep beforehand. And you could tell there was a little bit of nerves going on. But I honestly found that a little refreshing because you see politicians get up there. They're polished and they've got their lines. And he really felt like he was speaking from the heart, which was which was great. And Susan, he's running against Susan Collins. And obviously, it's not ideal for the Democrats to be having an election again. But with 100 days before the election, they have a new candidate as of tomorrow. Yeah, as of tomorrow. And then obviously, 2024, a very similar thing happened on the national stage. That's not ideal. But they have an authentic candidate who's going against someone who when they first ran in 1996 said, I'm going to run for I'm going to serve for two terms. And now here we are, 30 years later, she's 73 years old. She's going to be 80. If she were to win in November, she might retire and then run for president at that point because she'll be she'll be old enough to do that at that point. But I think he's got I think he's got I think he has that authenticity. I think that's important going into the election in November. Let me bring you in here because I've been in your comments section on your page, and I have seen how passionate people are about about the politics of the moment, especially just ordinary people. How do you think Democrats should frame the narrative of this race moving forward to connect with the type of people that you hear from every day? So I think what's really interesting about Maine is I don't think of Mainers and all the work I've ever done in Maine as being Democrats or Republicans. They're Mainers first, their neighbors first, their community and coalition first. So Troy Jackson coming in at this point in the race is just picking up the work where somebody else left off. I don't feel like he's going to be behind. And I think it's very clear that the state of Maine is with him. And I think it helps us break this curse we have that all federal elected are supposed to be acting in exclusively the national perspective of what the nation is deciding the senator from Maine needs to do. And I think what Troy Jackson is going to be able to do is say that he understands those working class values that Mainers have and inspire other people to put forth a candidate that's maybe not the perfect vessel, maybe not the most trained, maybe not the most perfect guy, but who really understands his community, his people and stands up for doing the right thing. One of the things that that he was speaking about earlier today is that Susan Collins has this rep of just being so concerned about everything, concerned about cutting Medicare, concerned about cutting taxes, concerned about the justices, even though they ultimately ended up overturning Roe v. Reed, which she said she didn't want to see happen, concerned about the funding for ICE. Yet she funded it anyway, as Troy Jackson continues his remarks here to the room in Bangor, Maine, and in her own state, in Biddeford, Maine. Yet another person is killed at the hands of federal law enforcement, immigration agents in this largest mass deportation campaign in American history. What do you hear in all of that messaging as Troy Jackson, a longtime politician but not familiar to the national stage, is trying to appeal to people as he takes on Susan Collins? What I think his his asset could be here is the fact that he's not friends with people in the Senate. He's not coming into a system that she's been entrenched in for all of this time, where her loyalties are to the Republican Party, to Donald Trump, to other people that she likes to go to dinner with. Something that I felt as an outsider coming into the journalism world even is when we're in these established places, you're like, what is going on here? And I just picture Troy Jackson coming up there as a regular guy and being able to spot those blind spots that this that Maine has had with Susan Collins all this time. He's going to come in and be like, that doesn't make sense to the average person. Like, let's not do that. It's sort of what we saw with Zorian Mamdani. Look at how much he's been able to do in seven months because he's not indentured to the establishment. He didn't come up through the ranks and like, oh, people in the political class, anything. He just came in and was like, hey, let's just do what I said I was going to do. What do you think, Jason, about you talk to so many Trump supporters in such a brilliant way? What do you want to what would you ask them about this race in Maine? If you had the opportunity, I'm sure you will. Well, it's actually interesting. I was just down for July 4th and we went to the Great American State Fair and actually talked to a woman from Maine at length about the campaign that was happening. And this was before there was a big shakeup in the race. But she she said that she was an independent thinker and said she would give Democrats a shot every once in a while. She also had a Trump hat on and said that she has a Trump 2028 flag in her yard that she uses just to troll her neighbors. She's like, Trump won't run. He's going to do it the way I was corresponding last night. Yeah, exactly. So I think that they're the diehard Trump supporters. They're not going to be they're not going to be switching their vote. I don't think they're not going to vote for a Democrat. But like he was saying, like there there's more of a libertarian feel in Maine. And when we talk to people from Maine and New Hampshire, they really will go either way, especially if they think somebody is kind of against the establishment. Oh, especially in Arista County, where Troy Jackson is from. As a matter of fact, just to the control room, can we take a little a little dip back into Troy Jackson? I'm curious just to hear what he's what he's talking about right now. Because we can we can together shoulder shoulder. We can defeat Susan Collins and we can take back that Senate seat and we can build a government that finally works for working Mainers, not the power brokers who write the biggest checks anymore. But look, there's never been a campaign that I won on my own. And this one, I cannot do it alone, because this campaign honestly belongs to all of us. I can feel it every time I talk to somebody, the belief that there has to be a change in our government. There has to be a way that works for us. So if you've ever been ignored, underestimated, pushed around or told that you have to wait your turn while the rich cut the line, I'm asking you to stand with us in this campaign. Troy Jackson appealing to people not just in Maine, but all across the country. We have a new statement that's in just now from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Troy Jackson. This is from Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger with a demonstrated ability to win a champion for affordable health care and working people. Jackson has harnessed the grassroots energy in Maine and is well-positioned to defeat Susan Collins, who is more vulnerable than she ever has been before. Collins is facing record low approval ratings. After she voted with Trump, 96 percent of the time was the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and sold out to the special interests that fund her campaigns after three decades. In the Senate in November, we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate Majority V. I feel like people in Maine and across the country have heard Chuck Schumer and Senator Gillibrand say that before. Your thoughts? Yeah, I don't care what they said just then. What I care about is what Troy Jackson just said, which is if you've ever felt left behind, if you feel like the rich cut the line while you're still down there working extra hours, this campaign is for you. That is how Trump won, appealing to working-class people who felt disenfranchised by the elite class. And so I think that Troy Jackson is going to be able to pick up these votes with or without approval from the corporate Democrats. And I think that he can pull a lot of former Susan Collins or Trump loyalist voters with the type of talking that he's doing, which is truly just about regular people getting a fair cut. That and that again, that's what this is all about. And Jason, you know, he says regular people getting a fair getting a fair cut. You talk to more ordinary people than most folks do. What do they want right now? I mean, I think a lot of people, even Trump supporters now want there to be an end to the war in Iran. They want the gas prices to come down. It's affordability more than anything. And I think that's why when Donald Trump attacks the affordability issue, it's kind of a losing message for him. But Trump voters and then everyone else, like Trump voters and the rest of the country, we can all come together on one thing. We don't want to be spending too much money and we don't want to be taken advantage of by powerful people. And that's why this is a there was a powerful message here in New York and it's a powerful message there in Maine. And it's hopefully something that Democrats across the country are going to learn from and say, hey, we're going to stick up for the little guy in a real meaningful way. And that means you can't be taking a lot of money from billionaires who might not have your best interests. And you heard it there from from Troy Jackson, who has now secured the Democratic nomination from the Senate in Maine. If Troy Jackson or anybody on his campaign is watching right now, we've got one more hour of Kinect coming up. So give us a call on the MSNBAT phone and Troy Jackson's welcome here on this broadcast at any time in the next hour. I want to thank comedian and writer Jason Selvig and Be Spear, host and creator of Under the Desk News, for joining us during this this early morning and afternoon now of breaking news out of Maine. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate it. The stage is set in Maine. Democratic former state lawmaker Troy Jackson will face off against longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins for the U.S. Senate this November, a race that could be a key factor in Democrats' chances of taking back the Senate majority. And yesterday, in an interview with MSNOW's Chris Jackson, he pointed to the issues he believes will set him apart from Collins. I've been fighting for universal health care, prescription drug coverage. I mean, I'm a big labor person. I don't believe in income tax cuts for wealthy people. I don't believe in ICE should come to Maine or any other state and create the chaos and hate and discontent and murder people. I mean, these are huge differences between me and Senator Collins. And that's why I think people are going to vote for me, because they want somebody that has their back instead of the wealthy elite. That was the Senate candidate, now the Democratic nominee, Troy Jackson, with MSNOW's own Chris Jansen. And also joining us is Kirby Wilson, politics editor of the Portland Press-Herald. Kirby, it's good to see you again. I think we just saw you, right? Just yesterday, 24 hours. So, I think my question with you, I want to start with the Democratic strategy in the race. It seems to me that they are trying to—they are consistently pointing to a key stat, which is that Susan Collins has voted with Donald Trump 96 percent of the time. What was notable to me when preparing for this segment, I ran across your own polling about a month ago, which found that Donald Trump was underwater, I think, 21 points in Maine. So, I think my question for you, is that connecting, you know, Trump to—or Collins to Trump, is that type of message, is that resonating? With voters, or are they still sorting through the debris of the Plattner withdrawal? Well, I think no matter who the Democratic candidate is, the Democrats were going to hope to tie Senator Collins to President Trump. The two stats that you cited are actually really interesting, because Senator Collins has voted with Trump 19 out of 20 times, statistically. But that's actually sort of on the lower end of how often Republican senators vote with the president. So, you can kind of spin that number either way, right? Senator Collins could say, well, I'm actually one of the more moderate Republicans for voting even that percentage of the time. And as far as the other statistic about polling and stuff, she's—with Trump's numbers, he's significantly underwater, but he's not more underwater than he is nationally. So, he's not especially unpopular in Maine. Now, I think both of those things could change. And that polling was done before the ICE officer killed a man, a 25-year-old man, in Biddeford about 10 days ago. So, I think the more national flare-ups there are between now and Election Day, the more opportunities Democrats will have to tie Senator Collins to the Trump administration. And if they're able to do so, I think they're in good shape. I mean, Senator Collins is always concerned, so maybe that works out in her favor. There's also some polling from University of New Hampshire that I thought was really interesting, Kirby. Jackson seems to have a slight edge over Collins among voters, 49 percent to 46 percent. We can see there that's just a 3 percent chain. And the 2.9 percent is the margin of error. So, basically, it is a tied race at this point. But he's also more—way more popular among voters 18 to 34. 67 percent to her 30 percent. And when you take both of those things, one, is three points enough for him at this point based on how much he overperforms polls every single time? I think the shift from Sarah Gideon to her in polling and when it actually came out in November was double digits. And how likely is it that he's able to galvanize these young voters in a way that's actually really, really helpful for him here? I think there's a great chance he's going to do well with young voters. And, in fact, Maine had the second highest turnout in 2024 among young voters. But the problem in Maine is there's just not that many of them. Maine is statistically the oldest state in the country. And this battle, this campaign battle, is largely going to be fought on the airwaves, trying to reach older voters via traditional media means—TV, newspapers, radio. So I think there's a great chance that state Senator Jackson can galvanize young voters. I'm just not sure it's going to make up for the margins that you pointed to. I think the interesting thing to point to in that University of New Hampshire poll is the Democratic candidate for governor is running 14, 16 points better than her Republican opponent. Jackson is running three points better than Collins. To me, that implies the existence of a lot of Democratic voters for governor and Republican voters for senator. They're voting for both at the same time. If Jackson can cut down on the number of those voters, I think he'll do a lot better. You saw it in 2020. Sarah Gideon lost by nine points the same year that President Biden won by nine points. Kirby, I'm wondering if you can sort of give us a vibe check of the room yesterday, because obviously the sampling of people who were there is not necessarily reflective of the entire Maine electorate. It's a very keyed in, up to date, high propensity group of people. But nevertheless, they are reflective of some of that excitement that we've been seeing all along here. And in that vibe check, a little bit more specifically, what were the issues that you heard from their conversations with these delegates, the people that were participating in this process yesterday? And does that align with the priorities and the platform that we saw Troy Jackson put out yesterday, according to his campaign? So we put out a policy survey for all of the candidates who ran for Senate in this truncated, less than two week process, and we found that there was almost no daylight between the candidates on key issues. Medicare for all, abolishing ICE, their stance on Israel. It was all very similar. So when you get 600 plugged in Democrats in Maine in a room, they're going to agree a lot on policy. The difference in the candidates is both how they present and also how they plan to attack Senator Collins. And I think you saw some key differences there between Jackson and his predecessor, Graham Plattner, who withdrew from the race. Plattner attacked Collins a lot on personal terms. She's personally corrupt, he said. She's part of the system of Congress that enriches members instead of the everyday workers, everyday people. And Jackson, although there was a flavor of that to what he said, he's focusing a lot more on the policy stuff and trying to tie her to Donald Trump. Now, Plattner did that as well, but I think Jackson is leaning a lot more heavily toward that end of things. And I think voters are probably going to respond a little bit more to how the national environment plays out here as opposed to attacking Senator Collins in personal terms, because Collins has been around for 30 years, right? Like, people in Maine know her and they don't see her as corrupt. They just don't. Herbie Wilson, so knowledgeable. Thank you so much for sharing that with us. And we will continue to have our eyes on Maine and have you come back to explain it all. So thank you for coming back to The Weekend. New praise today for Maine's freshly minted Democratic Senate candidate, 100 days out from the midterms. Former state Senator Troy Jackson won the nomination to take on five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins. Today, key senators weighing in on the nominee. I think he's a strong candidate and I think we have an opportunity. And I think Senator Collins has backed this president on all his stuff, right? Every time it's mattered and we could have used her vote to really put a check on this president. She stood with Donald Trump. I've known Troy for many years. What he understands that the people of Maine are sick and tired of a rigged economy. He's a working class guy. He's from the working class. He is very articulate. I think he stands an excellent chance to win. Let's bring in former Democratic Missouri state representative and CEO of Pine Street Strategies, Don Callaway, here in studio with me. We have Democratic strategist and author, Jenna Arnold, and also joining us, Republican strategist and MSNOW political analyst, Susan DelPersio. Good to have you all here. Hey, Don, did Democrats make the right choice with Troy Jackson? Can he handle the burden of convincing voters to stick with Democrats despite the Graham Plattner scandals? There were not many choices on the table. First of all, you have to find someone who has the experience and the character profile to be able to pull it off, but actually who wants to do it with this very, very compressed timeline. Not much unlike the 100 days that Kamala Harris had to run. She could talk to him about what that's like. So out of a universe of extremely limited choices, it does seem like former Senator Jackson is a capable and competent character to be able to do it. But we should acknowledge that he starts at a tremendous, tremendous disadvantage, because even in Maine, where people are extremely political aware and active, he comes with less name recognition than a multi-term Senator Susan Collins. And we see that Maine has that independent streak. So it's going to be very, very hard to beat Senator Collins. And it goes back to the choice that the Maine Democrats made a year ago to pick Graham Plattner, who was simply not prepared as a person of character or of substance to be on this stage. So while former state Senator Jackson seems to be a quality candidate, and I'm going to be hoping and supporting he wins, the disadvantage that he's at goes back to the extremely poor decision to put Graham Plattner on that platform. So don't mention it there. He was a state senator for a number of years. He has a lot of Graham Plattner's rather progressive policies behind him. Is this proof that this progressive wave is taking hold here? And do you think he's going to be able to harness the same kind of enthusiasm that Plattner around his controversies was experiencing? Yeah, I think he will be. I mean, I think it's important for Democrats not to mistake resolving this issue as some sort of success. We still have to be 10 toes down on making sure that we're having the conversations with people in Maine about why it's so important to continue to put their problems at the feet of Susan Collins, particularly because she's had how many terms to be able to resolve this. I love that he's a fifth generation logger. I don't know any loggers. I don't know how many logger candidates there's ever been, but fifth generation seems profound. He can point to the fact that hospitals have closed in northern Maine when people in Washington, D.C. have gotten richer. So I think the conversion will be helpful. But I think nationally, Democrats need to make sure they continue to put the pressure on that state. So, Susan, Republicans are going to be spending massively to help Senator Susan Collins keep her seat. How critical is it for Republicans to first keep that seat? And will money make the difference in this race? Does it usually? Great question. I mean, we can go back and ask candidates like Mike Bloomberg for president or Jeb Bush, who ran for president, how much money really mattered in the end. It's significant. It does not mean you are going to win if you have the most money. That being said, I think we have to look at the Republicans have to be careful that when they're putting spending in, they're going to do it now. They're going to try and define Troy Jackson as much as possible as quickly as possible. And that should that's where their jobs should be limited, because one of the reasons why Susan Collins has been so successful is she's not a national Republican. She is a senator from Maine and her constituent services and her and just her whole profile always goes back to doing a good job for Mainers. And that's where she has to stay. And if the national Republicans meddle too much in that message, that can be problematic. Of course, now that we have the change in the law as far as how money can be given and we don't have to see the separations as much with the packs and candidates, that will also be significant because they can talk to one another and really say, this is how we're going to win this state and come up with a comprehensive strategy. OK, let's move to Georgia with you, Jenna. Senator John Ossoff, certainly leading right now as Republican opponent. Mike Collins, congressman, former commerce congressman, by almost double digits in a new poll. What do you make of Ossoff's campaign so far? What can Democrats learn from the way he's running it and the way he presents himself? I will be a broken record about this, probably in perpetuity that we cannot have a strong relationship with polls. Polls, I think, sometimes give those of us who are concerned and paying close attention to the headlines this like a lean back mentality. And while he's leading, he, Mike Collins, who is a deep throated mega, one of the points that I think the Democrats need to be able to not just take in terms of a strategy, but really own in an authentic way is that the math has just not shaken out for what this administration has promised this country and the world, frankly. And we can continue to point to that. Have tariffs made any of us richer? Are we in less? Are we meddling in less foreign affairs? Have our grocery prices decreased? My cups of coffee have almost increased by 25 percent. So I think continuing to go back to the math in a really nuanced way is helpful, but I don't think we should try to pretend that every candidate can show up in a very Clark Kent style like Ossoff is. And whenever candidates, we just need to go back to the books. By the way, I said Collins is former and I got the mics confused. Susan, in this new Emerson poll, voters prefer Democratic candidates over Republicans nationally by 11 points with 100 days to go. Are Republicans on track to lose the Senate at this point? The Senate? I don't think so. Not with Susan Collins still looking very, you know, very much alive and well and winning reelection. I agreed with everything Don said about assessing that race. Without Maine, there is no chance. And then you mentioned Mike Rogers in Michigan. Michigan is a state that Republicans can actually flip. So this is going to be a very uphill battle when we look at the states that Democrats have to win to take the Senate. You're looking at Alaska, maybe, but tough. Iowa, again, these are all red states that Donald Trump won with double digits. It is going to be difficult. It doesn't mean it's impossible. And that, you know, polls, to Jenna's point, are simply a snapshot in time. They're used mostly for fundraising opinion, not to win elections. So things can look different. But as we approach 100 days, Alex, I don't see where the Senate map is right now that Democrats pull it off. So one last question to you this round, Don, with the Georgia gubernatorial race much closer, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms leading Republican Rick Jackson by just two points. And that is within the margin of error. Five percent of the voters are undecided. Can Democrats count on independents to swing those undecided votes their way on Election Day in the tight races across this country? No, we can't count on independents to do anything. That poll is essentially tied within the margin of error by any numbers. Keisha Lance Bottoms, my dear Delta sister, former mayor, you got to hustle this thing. I mean, you are at the top of the ticket. I know I'm not supposed to be breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the candidates. But we've got to hustle for now for 100 more days. I'm hearing about the disarray and some things happening in the campaign. Maybe that's inside baseball. But you have the opportunity to put a very talented ticket on your back and carry this across the finish line. Rick Jackson is no Brian Kemp, who is very, very popular and very formidable. Donald Trump is very unpopular in Georgia. And Rick Jackson can be tied directly to him. And oh, by the way, there is an anti-billionaire atmosphere all around the country. Mayor Lance Bottoms, please get back to Atlanta. Get in the streets. Get into Austell. Get with the barbershops and the people and get this across the finish line. There's a very talented ticket under the ballot, under Ossoff. And Mayor Lance Bottoms, Tanya Miller running for AG. But Keisha's got to get down in the streets and hustle this thing for 100 days. And I think we can do it in Georgia.