“A few weeks ago, I entered this race because I could not accept the idea of Susan Collins gliding to a sixth term at the very moment Maine families are being forced to pay the price for her votes. Today, I am stepping aside, and I am doing it for exactly the same reason that led me to get in: we must defeat Susan Collins, and the Democratic Party must be unified to do it.
To our volunteers and supporters, thank you does not begin to cover it. I’ve never been a politician, and when I launched my gubernatorial campaign last October, I didn’t have a political machine or even an email list. This past week, everyday Mainers powered our volunteer-led grassroots campaign back to life, collecting nearly 1,000 signatures in three days, making 15,000 phone calls in one week, and helping us earn thousands of votes for our delegates this past weekend.
Our volunteers come from every corner of Maine and every walk of life: educators, health care workers, veterans, college students, small-business owners, farmers, and more. They represent the very best of Maine, united by a deep belief in a better future for our state. To every person who believed in us and showed up: thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To Maine Democrats: Susan Collins will not be defeated without a united Democratic Party. And we cannot unite without treating one another with respect. No matter whom you supported in this race, I urge us all to remember that in the weeks ahead.
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As we turn to defeating Susan Collins, Mainers must remember that she is not a moderate. When the most extreme policies have threatened Maine, she has repeatedly failed to stop them. She voted for the Iraq War, gave ICE billions with no meaningful guardrails and helped put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court before Roe was overturned. Again and again, she has sided with Donald Trump when Maine needed her to stand up to him. After nearly thirty years, Susan Collins has given Mainers more excuses than independence.
That’s why I am suspending my campaign for the United States Senate today and endorsing Troy Jackson. Susan Collins, Donald Trump, and Senate Republicans are banking on disunity and frustration from Maine Democrats to try and win this seat, and we are not going to give them that. Maine Democrats are united, angry, and energized.
Now, that energy moves to the most important fight of all: defeating Susan Collins and flipping the United States Senate.”