SerpApi.Org
Troy Jackson, the presumptive Democratic nominee in a crucial Maine Senate race, made clear that he’s not a fan of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. That feeling might be mutual.
In a New York Times interview published on July 21, Jackson, 58, said he would not support the continued leadership of Schumer should he be elected to the Senate.
“The Democratic Party needs to have a different approach — getting people back in the party, getting working-class, everyday people back in the party — and I don’t believe it’s going to happen with Senator Schumer,” he said.
Furthermore, he said he is only conditionally interested in receiving support in his race from the national Democratic Party.
“I’d have to find out what that entailed,” he said when asked if he wanted Schumer’s help. “I mean, if his help comes, absolutely no strings.”
Schumer doesn’t seem inclined to offer Jackson any help, despite the race being crucial for Democrats to take back the Senate and block Donald Trump‘s agenda.
Schumer, 75, declined to endorse Jackson on July 21.
When asked directly if he would throw his endorsement behind the surging candidate, he pointedly did not say that he would.
“Bottom line is, my north star has always been: Take back the Senate,” Schumer told reporters. “We’re going to beat [Republican incumbent] Susan Collins, and we are going to take back the Senate.”
Schumer may be waiting for Maine Democrats’ nominating convention on July 25 to throw his support behind Jackson. Schumer spokeswoman Alison Biasotti said in a statement, “As Leader Schumer has said, once the Maine Democratic convention is complete, he will support the candidate Maine Democrats choose as their nominee.”
Schumer has already embarrassed himself in Maine this election cycle. He threw his support behind Maine governor Janet Mills earlier in the year, but Mills was handily defeated by progressive Graham Platner in the state’s primary. The loss led Democrats nationwide to urge Schumer to stay out of their primaries.
Jackson, 58, is days away from being officially nominated to run against Collins after former Platner withdrew from the race following a sexual assault allegation.
Early polling suggests that Jackson has a good shot at winning the race. A University of New Hampshire poll taken in July found Jackson with a 49-46 advantage over Collins in a hypothetical head-to-head.
