I’m watching Jackson speaking after he won the nomination. I’m going to trust that our Dem voters in Maine know what they’re doing, but I’m glad I don’t have to vote for him (though I would if I lived there). My initial impression is that he’s not very charismatic. Also, why does he sound like he was raised in the south? Certainly, I want him to win; these are just my impressions after seeing him for the first time.
Just to build on this:
Troy Jackson, a former president of the Maine Senate, and a fifth-generation logger from northern Maine, was selected this morning by Democratic delegates to replace Platner on the ballot.
It looks like his views are generally progressive; he left the Maine Senate in 2024 due to term limits, and was unsuccessful in a bid for the Democratic nomination for governor earlier this year.
I think that’s a rural Maine accent, not a Southern accent. Probably authentic, but it’s not uncommon for a politician to deliberately cultivate a “common man” accent.
He comes from a small town in northern Maine just a few miles from Canada. Mainers will understand that that is his true accent from there.
I didn’t mean to imply that he’s not using his natural accent, just that it’s not what I was expecting. I rather like Maine accents (the few I’ve encountered).
Shrug, they can’t all be Obama. And honestly, I don’t think he needs to be. There are plenty of senators I wouldn’t call charismatic, and it hasn’t stopped them from getting elected.
Thinking about it more, it feels like the majority of senators — from either party — aren’t especially charismatic. The Senate just isn’t built to select for that trait. It’s a chamber for institutionalists and deal‑makers, so it naturally ends up with more workhorse personalities than showhorse ones, unlike executive positions where charisma matters a lot more. That said, I’m not super confident in this stance. It’s more theory‑crafting than hard data, and I haven’t heard anyone else frame it this way. So if someone wants to argue the opposite side, I’d genuinely welcome the pushback.
My argument against would be the one I proposed earlier in this thread. In order to be a senator, you have to be elected senator. It may very well be that one doesn’t need much, if any, charisma to legislate effectively. But one does need charisma to run for the office and defeat one’s opponent. Or at least these days one does. I think to the extent that senators lack charisma, it’s probably a holdover from the old days when having charisma wasn’t as important in winning the election (as opposed to having the right connections with wealthy donors). Winning re-election is also easily attributed to a lack of primary challenges and belonging to the right party.
Personally I find the charisma question to be pretty much irrelevant. As has been mentioned there are many Senators lacking charisma. In fact, I don’t find Jackson’s opponent Susan Collins to be particularly charismatic. She has always struck me more as very dull.
After watching Jackson’s speech I think he seems to come across as a genuine Mainer, accent and all. Plus keep in mind, given his previous positions in the state he is likely much better known to the people of Maine than to those of us from other states.
Also, the recent ICE murder in Maine is likely to be a problem for Collins given her previous support for giving them funding. It will probably be a close race but we will know more in coming weeks as there are more polls released.
True, and my families friend Senator “Scoop” Jackson, while a great guy and super sharp, wasnt exactly an 18 in Charisma either- he lost to a certain peanut farmer when Scoop ran for the Democratic nomination for president. Carter had charisma, but wasnt a very good president.
Troy Jackson should do well in Maine- and he is certainly more charismatic than Collins
I should have been clearer. By “not very charismatic” I mean “unappealing”. I understand charisma isn’t everything, and not required to be an effective senator. I was just commenting on my initial impression. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely want him to win landslide style.
If it makes you feel better, you aren’t the only person to say that Jackson lacks charisma. One of the first articles posted in either this or the other "He who should not be named" thread when Jackson was announced specifically called out that he wasn’t a great public speaker.
First poll I have seen with Jackson vs Collins (note that I, personally have seen, you do not need to tell me there was an earlier one)-
Jackson +3. Which is really close, but still good news.
Against an incumbent? It’s great news.
Since 2022, I’ve followed Logan Phillips’ Race To The White House. It was what kept me sane during the 2022 midterms. Seemed he was the only one who predicted the Dems would keep the Senate, and he was right. He claims to be right 97% of the time. (For 2024, he had Kamala Harris ahead by a hair on election day, and that she’d take the swing states by thin margins, but I guess those margins were just too close.)
Anyway, since Platner dropped out and it looked as though Jackson was going to get the nomination, Maine has gone from “toss-up” to “tilt Dem”, and the Dems have pulled ahead in the Senate prediction by a couple of percentage points. Still close, but it’s encouraging.
(He also seems to think Talarico will prevail in Texas.) 
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Moderating:
Closing thread for 20 minutes.
This is not about Nixon or Truman as should be obvious.
This is about the current Maine election.
I’m going to remove the Chatterbox123 hijack anyway. They’re out of here.
This topic was automatically opened after 20 minutes.
For what it’s worth - I’m a native Mainer. Susan Collins was a good, not great, Senator, IN HER DAY. That day has passed. She joined the legion of butt lickers, just like the late Senator Graham. Her only redeeming grace in my eyes is the largess she has been able to bring home. The out of state funds that are pouring in to her re-election campaign are just disgusting. People from “away” are trying to buy our Maine politicians. The last figure I saw (can’t find the cite) was that out of the multi-millions being raised only 4K was from in state.
I don’t know Jackson but I do know he’s NOT Collins. That’s enough for me. I can hope!
Nice to hear from a Maine voter.