Polling continues to show the Democrat Troy Jackson locked in a tight contest against incumbent Republican Susan Collins in Maine's U.S. Senate race, but support from former President Barack Obama may have given the challenger a boost less than a month from Election Day. Obama this week issued a host of endorsements for Democratic candidates running in the midterm elections.
In a video posted to YouTube, Obama said he was “proud” to back Jackson—who replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee in July—and said that, “in this economy, we need a fighter like Troy.” Obama remains the most popular living former president, according to an early-2025 poll by Gallup, and YouGov has listed him as one of the most popular public figures in the world. And the endorsement comes as both Maine candidates struggle to mount a solid lead, with Jackson holding narrow edges in most polls but many voters not yet set on their choice. Newsweek has contacted the Jackson and Collins campaigns for comment.
In his video message, Obama referenced Jackson’s past experience as a logger and described how the candidate had carried it into his political career. "So, as Maine Senate president, he fought to raise wages, lower the cost of prescription drugs and provide free lunch to every student in the state." He went on to mention one of the Jackson campaign’s key talking points—his support for reproductive rights—an attempt to contrast with Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the subsequent overturning of Roe v.
Get out there and vote for Troy Jackson.” Jackson responded to the video message on Thursday, telling reporters that while he disagreed with Obama "on some things," including trade, he was "happy to have his endorsement because, overall, I think what he tried to do for the country was positive." "If Senator Collins had President Obama's character, we wouldn't be in this mess right now," he added. Ronald Schmidt, a professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine, said that such an endorsement could "make an important difference" given the circumstances of the race. "Enthusiasm drives turnout, and, while the former president might not move opinion much, he’s popular enough with Democrats that he could convince some of them to show up and vote when they might not have done so otherwise," he told Newsweek.
"He also appeals to the sort of moderate voter that Senator Collins is courting.” With Obama's support, Jackson has built up endorsements from a number of notable public figures and groups across Maine and the U.S. As his website notes, these include dozens of unions and labor groups, such as the International Association of Machinists. The list also features hundreds of legislators, community leaders and political figures within Maine.
Outside of the state, the California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna backed Jackson to replace Platner in July. And beyond simply endorsing the candidate, Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders is scheduled to rally alongside Jackson several times this month, with their first event together in Bangor on Saturday. In a Washington Post/Schar School poll published Friday, Jackson secured 50 percent support to 46 percent for Collins.
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