Maine voters get a heaping helping of Bernie Sanders’ socialist plans — and they like it

LEWISTON, Maine — Sen. Bernie Sanders hit the road on behalf of Maine’s Democratic candidate for Senate this weekend, promoting a far-left agenda that has become increasingly appealing to residents here who are overwhelmed by the high cost of living and fed up with President Trump.

Mr. Sanders, the de facto leader of the socialist movement, endorsed Troy Jackson and joined him for a three-city campaign swing in the Maine race, which is now a dead heat.

At each stop, the pair accused Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans of leaving working-class voters behind.

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“Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in the history of America, and I believe that is what the majority of folks in Maine believe,” Mr. Sanders said.

Stumping for Mr. Jackson in Lewiston on Sunday, Mr. Sanders told a packed church-turned community center that if Mr. Jackson defeats Sen. Susan M. Collins, the five-term incumbent, it could flip the Senate and greenlight a far-left wish list that would provide free healthcare, childcare and college for all and would tax billionaires to pay for affordable housing.

“We live in an economy where the rich never had it so good and working people are struggling,” Mr. Sanders said after asking the audience how many thousands of dollars they had shelled out in health insurance deductibles.

The message resonated with the crowd, as did Mr. Sanders’ far-left demand that the U.S. stop providing money to Israel to support the war in the Gaza Strip.

“I love it,” said T.J. Heath, a 40-year-old restaurant worker, after Mr. Sanders and Mr. Jackson addressed the crowd. “Their message is very, very focused on the working class.”

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Democrats have been trying for decades to unseat Ms. Collins and believe Mr. Jackson, 58, will finally do it come Nov. 3.

The two are tied in polls.

Although Ms. Collins, 73, overperformed polling in her past five victories, this year is more of an uphill climb.

She is battling inflation, high gasoline and heating oil prices, a deeply unpopular war in the Middle East and growing Trump fatigue that has made even a borderline socialist agenda palatable to voters who are traditionally more moderate.

The Washington Times reached out to the Collins campaign for this report.

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She has cast herself as a moderate who is willing to stand up to Mr. Trump, but it is not enough for some voters.

“At this point, I don’t care what Troy Jackson’s stances are as long as he’s not a Republican,” said Lee DiFilippo, 80, who has voted for Republicans in the past. “It’s Donald Trump. That’s the issue.”

Mr. Sanders and Mr. Jackson held a rally in Bangor on Saturday night. The stop Sunday in Lewiston was followed by a rally in Biddeford, where a man who authorities identified as an illegal immigrant — and who was not the intended target of the federal arrest warrant — was fatally shot on July 13 by an ICE officer.

Mr. Jackson framed the immigrant community as scapegoats for the failings of the Republican Party.

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“Immigrants aren’t deciding whether you can afford healthcare, gas and groceries, and immigrants sure as hell aren’t the reason that working people have been screwed in this country their entire life,” Mr. Jackson told the crowd in Lewiston.

Mr. Jackson, a fifth-generation logger, pitched himself as a member of the working class who struggled to pay his mortgage and cover his healthcare bills.

Mainers, he said, “are pissed off,” and are showing up in droves at his campaign events, “because they’re ready to take their government back.”

He promoted his record in the state Legislature, where he passed funding for free school lunches and expanded gun background checks. He told the crowd about his travels across the state, hearing from struggling residents at town halls, in parking lots and in churches.

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The high cost of living is crushing people, he said, and it could be turned around only by electing Democrats to take control of Congress. Like Mr. Sanders, he backs universal healthcare and taxing billionaires to fund the expansion of social welfare programs and housing.

“I’ve talked to Mainers who are cutting their pills in half because they can’t afford to fill their prescriptions. Families that are worried about heating. Parents that are worried about groceries. People are wondering if they’ll ever be able to afford a home in the state where they grew up,” Mr. Jackson said. “It’s different times, different struggles, but the same damn truth. People are working harder than ever just to keep their heads above water.”

Julie McCabe, 36, a teacher and state representative, said she believes Mr. Jackson will finally win the Senate seat for Democrats because his working-class message resonates.

Voters trust his pledge to pass an agenda that will help them, she said. “I know it’s the year.”

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Susan Ferrechio

sferrechio@washingtontimes.com

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