U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will rally with Maine Democrats in Portland on Labor Day.
The Vermont independent will be in town boosting gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson and insurgent U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner.
In a Monday statement, Sanders said the country needs working class candidates who aren’t afraid to take on “the oligarchy” and to transform “our corrupt political and economic systems.”
“Together, we can defeat authoritarianism and create an economy that works for all our people, not just the privileged few,” he said.
Platner, a 40-year-old oyster farmer and veteran from Sullivan who has support from unions, made waves last week when he announced that he would challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, in the 2026 November election.
Platner has criticized Democrats for not backing up their dire fundraising messaging with more combative action against President Donald Trump. His campaign boasted Friday that it’s raised $400,000 so far and is attracting 300 volunteers a day.
He faces an uphill battle against Collins, who plans to run for a historic sixth term next year. She has handily beaten back challengers, including in 2020 when she defied polls and expectations to eke out a fifth term in the Senate. Despite that, Collins, once ranked the country’s most bipartisan senator, has seen her popularity slump since Trump’s first term in the White House.
In May, Jackson announced his bid for the Democratic nomination for next year’s race to replace the term-limited Gov. Janet Mills. Days after the announcement, Sanders endorsed him.
Jackson, who enjoys support from labor unions, first ran for the Maine House of Representatives in 2000 as a Republican but didn’t win. He finally won a seat in the Legislature in 2002 as an independent. Jackson joined the Democratic Party in 2004.
From 2018 to 2024, he served as Senate president for majority Democrats. Jackson was term-limited from the Senate last year.
Before rising to political office, Jackson garnered attention for his role in a 1998 logging blockade protesting the use of Canadian labor in Maine.
“For my entire life I’ve watched corporate greed and wealth inequality break up families, pit communities against each other and prevent good, hardworking folks from getting ahead. It’s time for a change. It’s time for working-class people across this state and this country to band together and say enough is enough. It’s time for a government that works for everyday, working people. And with Mainers help, I intend to make that happen,” Jackson said in a Monday statement.
The Sept. 1 rally will be held at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium on Myrtle Street. Tickets aren’t required but anyone who wishes to attend is encouraged to RSVP. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the rally starts at 6 p.m.
